SAILFISH BREWING COMPANY’S TAG & RELEASE AMBER FESTIVAL
The first annual Sailfish Brewing Company’s Tag & Release Amber Festival was held on July 20th at Sailfish Brewery in Fort Pierce, Florida to bring awareness and generate funds for The Billfish Foundation (TBF). This event was the brewery’s way to help support TBF and to introduce themselves a TBF conservation partner for 2013 and beyond. As part of their commitment to honor the TBF mission, the owners of Sailfish Brewing Company named one of its most popular offerings Tag & Release Amber. Sailfish Brewery donated a $1 for every Tag & Release beer sold during the festival
TBF SUBMITS COMMENTS FOR BILLFISH CONSERVATION ACT SCOPING PROCESS
On July 3,The Billfish Foundation submitted their official comments to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) as part of the scoping process for the Billfish Conservation Act of 2012. Signed into law on October 5, 2012, NMFS is seeking public comment on the potential scope of any future regulations to implement the BCA. Two exemptions placed in the legislation would allow Pacific billfish caught by domestic vessels and landed Hawaii and the Pacific Insular Areas to be excluded from the general prohibition within the legislation. The legislation also allows foreign vessels to land billfish in Pacific Insular
TBF RELEASES STUDY ‘SPORTFISHING IN PANAMA: A NATURAL ECONOMIC GOLD MINE’
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A report released today by The Billfish Foundation (TBF) reveals that sportfishing has been a major factor in attracting tourists to Panama providing a valuable fishing-based economic lift to the country. In 2011 (most recent data), 86,250 visitors fished in Panama. Those anglers and the rest of their travel companions spent $97 million on charter boats, fuel, food, lodging, and other related expenses. The number of anglers visiting Panama has doubled from 2001 to 2011 and the surge could only be the beginning, provided that fishing remains great and consumers are made aware
INTRODUCING TBF/HOOKBUZZ MONTHLY PHOTOCONTEST
Andrés Carrasco Martínez
Do you have any amazing billfishing pictures? We’d love to see them AND reward you with some free stuff ! The Billfish Foundation and HookBuzz.comare proud to announce a monthly photo contest where the winner will be eventually decided by the YOU! Each month, one winner will be voted on and then after 12 months of winners are announced, a grand prize winner will win a bag full of gear! Not too shabby for just sending in a picture. All you need to do it submit your picture to us via email and be sure to “like” our facebook page
TBF’s Tag and Release Program
Established in 1990, The Billfish Foundation’s Tag and Release Program is the largest private billfish tagging database in the world and the cornerstone of TBF’s conservation and advocacy efforts. With more than 220,000 tag and release reports, TBF receives over 15,000 tag and release records annually from across the globe and provides vital information for billfish conservation. The success of TBF’s Tag and Release program is contributed to the dedicated anglers and captains around the globe that voluntarily tag, release, and report their billfish catches. The deployment of traditional tags and the data gathered from recaptured billfish provides valuable
TBF BACK IN THE CLASSROOM
Not many people want to go back to school, one time through is enough for many, but that is exactly what The Billfish Foundation’s Peter Chaibongsai did last week at the La Jolla Country Day school in La Jolla, California. TBF was invited by Mr. Christopher Uyeda, a science teacher, to present to several classes on the importance of the conservation of recreational fish stocks and why programs like TBF’s Tag & Release program are essential for billfish conservation. Chaibongsai spoke about TBF and our mission to conserve billfish populations worldwide as well as those communities dependent on healthy
TBF SUBMITS OFFICIAL COMMENTS FOR DRAFT SWORDFISH AMENDMENT
On May 2, 2013 The Billfish Foundation submitted their official comments for Draft Amendment 8 for swordfish management in the United States as part of the Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fisheries Management Plan. Draft Amendment 8 proposes the establishment of a new Open-Access Commercial Handgear Permit for Swordfish as a means to increase access to fishery and decrease the amount of unharvested quota. Even though the North Atlantic swordfish stocks are fully recovered, which represents a success story for international fisheries management, the U.S. has failed to catch its allocated quota in recent years. From 2007 to 2011
WELCOME PELAGIC GEAR AS A NEW TAG & RELEASE SPONSOR!
The Billfish Foundation would like to welcome Pelagic Gear as a new Tag & Release Sponsor! We are excited to have them on board to support and promote TBF’s Tag & Release Program. Pelagic joins Bisbee’s Black and Blue, Costa Sunglasses, and King Sailfish Mounts as Tag & Release Sponsors for 2013. Pelagic Gear has been a sponsor of TBF’s website section “In the Spread” for several years, but reaffirmed and increased their support of TBF’s main conservation program. This partnership works perfectly with Pelagic’s own Ocean Conservancy Project line. This project raises funds for organizations that are
TBF AT MARLINS PARK!
On May 1, nearly 10,000 students from across South Florida learned about weather and billfish at the eighth annual CBS 4 Weather Day. This event took place prior to the Miami Marlins game at Marlins Park. Elementary and middle school students came from Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties to the ballpark and took part in a fun-filled, science-focused educational field trip. A number of the local CBS 4 meteorologists and NOAA hurricane experts spoke during the pre-game program designed to teach kids some basic concepts of weather and how these topics relate to living in South Florida
SID JOHNSON MEMORIAL CONSERVATION TROPHY PRESENTED IN TOBAGO
The winner of TBF’s first Sid Johnson Memorial Conservation Trophy was won by team Vesper from Trinidad for releasing the most billfish during the 2012 Southern Caribbean Billfish Circuit. The Vesper team includes boat owner Jerome Mcquilkin, Captain Gerard “Frothy” de Silva; mate Nigel Garcia, three anglers Derick Tardeau, Ayoub Kabli and James Layton. TBF president Ellen Peel presented the trophy to Captain Frothy at the Marlin Madness tournament for the rest of the team was competing in the Bonnier World Championship in Costa Rica. The late Sid Johnson from Trinidad was an early advocate for catch and release
