Longtime TBF supporters, Orange Beach Sportfishing Club (OBSC) recently welcomed TJ Morrell to speak at their club about the latest billfishing news, including updates on the foundation, topics affecting the sportfishing community, and where the organization is headed in terms of billfish conservation. 

As a thriving sportfishing club in the Gulf, OBSC is familiar with the general practices of TBF. Despite being one of the smaller fishing clubs, they have consistently been one of the largest donors to TBF’s conservation mission. Their club is filled with familiar faces, skilled anglers, and an environment that makes everyone feel welcome from the moment you walk through the doors. That’s why any opportunity to visit their club and say hello is a welcomed experience for us here at TBF.

During the meeting, TJ provided the club members with TBF’s latest research and conservation efforts that The Billfish Foundation is currently involved in, especially related to the Gulf of Mexico. This was an opportunity to discuss recently awarded grants, tagging efforts, and upcoming projects. As for advocacy, the discussion then turned to some of the pressing issues facing the fishing community, including what TBF is doing to act as the voice of the billfishing community. 

In terms of data collection, we reviewed the recent progressions being undertaken to streamline the reporting process, which covered improvements for Juvenile Billfish submissions and recapture reporting, as well as the soon-to-be released batch upload for tags. Also, make sure to keep an eye out for TBF’s brand new website, expected to be released in the near future!

Overall, the outreach event was a success, with the members of the OBSC showing great enthusiasm and support for TBF’s conservation efforts. Any opportunity for TBF to connect with the fishing community, discuss key issues affecting the industry, and promote conservation efforts is always welcomed. And whether TBF is attending government panels and conferences or tirelessly working behind the scenes to decipher recent Amendments and proposals, we take our role in this community very seriously. We appreciate clubs like OBSC for making it that much easier to achieve our goals and support billfish conservation worldwide.

If your fishing club or organization would like TBF to give a talk, please contact us at [email protected].