Morning Well Spent At Broward Marine Magnet School
Interns from The Billfish Foundation spent Thursday morning at South Broward High School with a group of incoming freshmen who are part of the marine magnet program. These students have a particular interest in marine education, from boat mechanic training to fish conservation, and sat ready with notebooks to absorb all information. A few were tricked with the first question of what is a billfish–ballyhoo and swordfish were mistakenly identified. But a quick biology lesson cleared up the confusion of distinguishing billfish, and opened the door to conversation about their importance, both in the ecosystem and to the economies
ELECTRONIC MONITORING
As fisheries regulations develop, there is often the need for enforcement of compliance—enforcing gear restrictions, enforcing size limits, enforcing the return of non-target species, and ultimately enforcing the law. Ensuring compliance with such regulations on the high seas, however, is easier said than done. Some vessels can spend months at sea, beyond the jurisdiction of any nation, and even when vessels are within national waters their activities are so distant from land and the law that much can go unnoticed. Observer programs attempt to shrink the room for lawlessness by employing a person to watch the day-to-day operations
Did You Know?
Welcome to our Did You Know blog! Billfish and related species, like tuna and swordfish, are amazing creatures and set themselves apart from other fish. The Billfish Foundation would like to share some of the most interesting facts and stories involving these fish. What are some of the things that surprised you about these magnificent animals? #didyouknow Did you know that traditional tagging is not the only kind of tagging that TBF does? If you have followed us for a while, you may have heard us talk about satellite tagging, but what exactly is it, and how is it
WHAT IS THE PORT STATE MEASURES AGREEMENT AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Seafood is big business. Not only is it an industry that exchanges billions of dollars in trade globally, but the sector also trades an abundance of resources that contribute to food security and livelihoods across the world. When there’s money to be made, though, naturally there will be some bad players. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a shadowy component of global fisheries with its roots in lack of enforcement. It can take the form of fishing in a protected zone, taking more than is allowed, taking protected species, or fishing by one nation in another’s exclusive waters
BLUEFIN TUNA HARVEST QUOTA CLOSES FOR THE YEAR IN GULF OF MEXICO
The National Marine Fisheries serviced announced that the recreational bluefin tuna harvest in the Gulf of Mexico has reached its quota and will close June 7, 2017 until the end of the year (December 31, 2017). This sub-quota for the region is a recent development that TBF helped push for — prior to a division of the southern bluefin quota, the full allocation was landed before ever reaching the Gulf of Mexico. Ellen Peel, Director of The Billfish Foundation, said the excitement of several teams who brought in a trophy-sized bluefin this year in Alabama was unmistakable. Many praised
GULF OF MEXICO QUOTA ADJUSTED AFTER BLUEFIN TUNA LANDING
The quota for bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico has been updated after a large individual was landed in a fishing tournament last week. Katie Gonsoulin pulled in a 502.4-pound bluefin tuna while fishing on Done Deal at the Orange Beach Billfish Classic in Alabama. The remaining trophy fish quota for Gulf anglers is now approximately one metric ton, or about 1,150 pounds (whole weight). This subquota is part of the larger quota granted to the United States by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), a regional fisheries management body that conducts stock assessments and sets
ADVANCEMENT OF BILLFISH CONSERVATION ACT – A PARTIAL STEP FORWARD
On May 18, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced Section 396, an amendment to the 2012 Billfish Conservation Act. The bill, initially introduced in February by U.S. Senators Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), was passed favorably without amendment during an executive session. Section 396 adds that billfish caught in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are not to be sold or transported to the U.S. mainland. The Billfish Foundation applauds continuing efforts made by the Senate to eliminate the sale of Pacific billfish to the
CALL TO ACTION ON FORAGE FISH!
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has begun a Scoping Process to consider allowing giant trawlers to increase their excessive landings of forage species off the Mid-Atlantic region, specifically chub (Tinker) mackerel. Knowing how important that species and the other forage fish are to support the recreational billfish and tuna fisheries NOW is the time to email your comments to the Council to Chris Moore. For your convenience, we have created a draft letter for your reference to write your own letter or to email here. Attached is our official comments as well for your review. If you can, please attend and voice
BLUEFIN TUNA ANGLING CATEGORY ADJUSTMENT
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has adjusted the Atlantic bluefintuna (BFT) daily retention limits that apply to vessels permitted in the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Angling category and the HMS Charter/Headboat category (when fishing recreationally for BFT) effective April 30, 2017, through December 31, 2017, as follows: In deciding these retention limits, NMFS considered the regulatory determination criteria regarding inseason adjustments, which include available quota, fishery performance in recent years, availability of BFT on the fishing grounds, and the effects of the adjustment on the stock and on accomplishing the objectives of the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP)
ATLANTIC BLUEFIN TUNA TROPHY ANGLING CATEGORY SOUTH AREA CLOSING MARCH 20, 2017
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will close the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) Angling category fishery for large medium and giant “trophy” BFT (measuring 73” or greater) in the southern area effective 11:30 p.m. local time, Monday, March 20, 2017, through December 31, 2017. The southern area is the area south of 39°18’N (off Great Egg Inlet, NJ), outside the Gulf of Mexico. Bluefin Tuna angling regions. South area (closed as of 3/20/17 to 12/31/17) highlighted in green. Based on reported landings from the NMFS Automated Catch Reporting System and the North Carolina Tagging Program, NMFS projects that the
