INTRODUCING THE HAWAII REGIONAL TAG & RELEASE COMPETITION!
Photo Courtesy of Brian Toney The Hawaiian Islands are undoubtedly a special place for many reasons. In the eyes of many anglers, it is unique for being the only place in the world where a grander marlin has been caught during every month of the year. After the success of TBF’s regional competitions in the Gulf of Mexico and South Florida, TBF has created the Hawaiian Tag & Release Regional Competition to recognize the great fishing, captains, anglers and crews who fish there. It couldn’t come at a moment sooner after one of the best billfish seasons on record
Billfish Conservation Record – Analyzing 2013 Data
The Billfish Foundation is pleased to make available our annual Conservation Record, noting 2013 Rybovich Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients, 2013 Tag & Release Competition winners, and data analysis from this year’s records. View the full report by selecting the link on the image below
PARTICIPATION ON THE RISE
When the US was in the midst of a recession (2007 – 2009), TBF saw a significant reduction in tag and release reports, and it comes as no surprise; the price of fuel was at an all-time high during 2008 as well as many people redirecting their expenditures towards other hobbies. In the years following the start of the recession, TBF saw large fluctuations in the amount of data coming in, but overall, the numbers remained fairly low. Participation from the captains, anglers, and mates who have long supported our mission via the Tag & Release Program began
ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF FOR-HIRE HMS SECTOR
In recent years, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has taken great steps to recognize the importance of recreational fishing across the nation and their research continues to reveal the substantial benefits that come from healthy recreational fisheries. Surveys conducted by NMFS in 2011 of private HMS angling permit holders revealed that anglers targeting HMS in particular make significant economic contributions because of the high costs of tackle, fuel, and boats required for offshore fishing. It was estimated that private HMS angling permit holders had an economic impact of USD $266 million. However, these estimates were only for private vessels
CREDIBLE SCIENTISTS TAKE ON SENSATIONALISTS
It comes as good news to learn of CFOOD, a group of well respected scientists that came together “out of frustration with erroneous stories about fisheries sustainability” to “set the record straight.” Even though many sensational claims about the status of fish have been discredited, they continue to appear in the press as factual. CFOOD’s mission is to identify such reports or claims and provide a quick science-based response. How refreshing it is to know this group of scientists are organized to assess and respond at a time when extreme environmental organizations bombard the public and decision makers with reports
Congressional Review of Atlantic Shark Depredation
Daily reports and postings of angler-caught fish bitten into or taken whole by sharks, known as depredation, painfully and clearly demonstrates the result of one-sided management, which has produced excessive numbers of sharks off the East, the Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts. The angler-hooked species taken by sharks range from sheepshead to marlin and […]
Robust Debate & Marine Closures
This past June, Biscayne National Park released its new General Management Plan (GMP) to guide actions over the next 20 years in preserving and protecting the shallow water coral reef ecosystem (only living barrier coral reef system in Continental U.S.), mangrove forest, water bird colonies, fish populations and cultural sites all to insure a high quality visitor experience. (In 2014, the park’s visitor count was 525,714.) The Plan includes, among many actions, one to close over 10,000) acres (5-6% of whole Park) to anglers and commercial fishing in waters of Biscayne Bay in south Florida. Closing out anglers
Discussion Draft of Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management Policy
The NMFS recently released its Discussion Draft Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Policy to serve as guiding principles for the agency’s decision making over the long term. NOAA defines EBFM “as a systematic approach to fisheries management in a geographically specified area that ensures the resilience and sustainability of the ecosystem; recognizes the physical, biological, economic, and social interactions among the affected components of the ecosystem, including humans; and seeks to optimize benefits among a diverse set of societal goals.” The government provides that with an EBFM “consideration will be given to interactions among fisheries, protected species, aquaculture, habitats
NMFS Meeting Announces Two Major Projects
Michael Kelly, Science & Policy Specialist represented The Billfish Foundation (TBF) on the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Advisory Panel, which discussed current billfish, tuna and shark issues. The two priority issues for sportfishing included: (1) Deepwater Horizon pelagic longline bycatch reduction project and (2) the NMFS developing an economic survey form for tournament directors and a separate one for participants; and The bluefin quota rule was discussed, but no changes are being recommended for the Angling Categories. $20,000,000 for a Pelagic Longline Bycatch Reduction Project in the Gulf of Mexico is one of 10 projects
BILLFISH GENETIC SAMPLING WITH VIMS
Photo Courtesy of Brant Wise Despite the popularity with anglers worldwide and the research investments made by The Billfish Foundation since 1986, still a lot of biological information is not known about marlin, sailfish, and spearfish, making their management and conservation challenging. Billfish tagged by anglers and scientists has revealed a lot about the fishes’ movements and growth rates, but documenting the number of populations of each billfish species that exists in each ocean is unknown. A population is “… a group of fish of the same species that are alive in a defined area at a given time” (Wooten 1990)
