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

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

TAG & RELEASE COMPETITION UPDATE!

We may still be highlighting last year’s award winners, but the Tag & Release Competition update as it stands. Don’t forget, these positions will be shifting constantly until the final deadline, October 31, especially now that the kiddos are out of school and hitting it hard! Check out the link for full details and rules. www.billfish.org/competition/ As of 7/6/17 Overall Release Captain Overall Tagging Captain Overall Release Angler Overall Tagging Angler Overall Release Lady Angler Overall Tagging Lady Angler Overall Release Youth Angler Overall Tagging Youth Angler Top Tagging Angler- Atlantic Blue Marlin Sailfish Top Release Angler- Atlantic

THE BILLFISH FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2017 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNERS

Today, The Billfish Foundation (TBF), the world’s leading sportfishing conservation organization for marlin, sailfish, spearfish and associated highly migratory fish, announces this year’s winners of its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards and its Club of Excellence Awards.  The Lifetime Achievement Awards are named in honor of three distinguished gentlemen who made exemplary contributions to advancing billfish research and conservation throughout their lives. The Club Award is in recognition of big game fishing clubs that have contributed to the conservation and management of billfish and other species, responsible sportfishing fishing and support of TBF. THE WINTHROP P. ROCKEFELLER LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

TBF ADDING TWO NEW LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Two new lifetime achievement awards have been added to TBF’s annual recognition of excellence in advancing billfish conservation. The first new award is the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Individual Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of the late Winthrop Rockefeller, the founder of TBF. This award will recognize individuals, who have made a positive impact on the knowledge and character of sportfishing, boating, educational opportunities and youth fishing. The second new award is the Paxson H. Offield Lifetime Billfish Science Award in honor of the late Paxson Offield, who was an exemplary supporter of billfish research. The award will recognize outstanding

TBF’S 2017 ARTIST OF THE YEAR – DENNIS FRIEL

TBF proudly announces the selection of South Florida native Dennis Friel as its 2017 Artist of the Year. “Combustion” by Dennis Friel Dennis fondly recalls “as a kid growing up in South Florida fishing, surfing and diving the waters from Palm Beach to the Keys, I always drew fish and the sea. To build those childhood experiences into a career has made me feel very fortunate.” As an avid tournament angler, Dennis’ ability to visually portray the saltwater lifestyle is unique. He also draws from his south Florida roots to discover new points of inspiration. Fusing both traditional

The Billfish Foundation’s International Tag & Release Awards – 2016 Award Winners

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TBF’S TAGGING PROGRAM HERALDED

A recently released analysis of the NMFS Cooperative Tagging Program between January 2006 and December 2015 by Caitlyn Savoia, a graduate student at the University of Miami, documented that during those years the Program received the lowest number of tagged and recaptured reports, which collect valuable scientific data.”  The author lauded the work of TBF’s implementation of its self-entry on-line database for tagged, released and recaptured billfish as well as the outreach done to further engage the sportfishing community. She applauds TBF’s Tag & Release system for including interactive features that improve efficiency, transparency while making the entry, retrieving

TBF WELCOMES 20ECHO AS A TAG & RELEASE PROGRAM SPONSOR!

The Billfish Foundation (TBF) proudly announces that 20echo is its newest Tag and Release Program sponsor, joining  Casa Vieja Lodge, Costa Sunglasses, Garmin, King Sailfish Mounts, Pelagic Gear, and Yeti in support of the scientific data collecting program. Begun in 1990, the Program has produced the world’s largest private billfish tagging data resource, which is the organization’s cornerstone science project that shares angler-generated data with scientists to improve billfish science. TBF’s partnership with 20echo.com will bolster data collect for years to come by giving anglers a fast, on board means to capture weather, oceanic and fish data at the exact spot of a billfish tag, release

2016 TAG & RELEASE COMPETITION WINNERS

The Billfish Foundation’s (TBF) Tag and Release Award winners, the “who’s who” in the billfishing world will be honored during the International Tag and Release Awards Ceremony at Miami’s Jungle Island on February 17, 2017. Earning one of the prestigious awards, produced and donated by King Sailfish Mounts, symbolizes a year of hard work, great fishing and/or boat and fish handling skills plus a commitment to a future with billfishing. Leaders in the sportfishing industry sponsor the Tag and Release Program and Ceremony and include Costa Sunglasses, PELAGIC Gear, Casa Vieja Lodge, Garmin Inc., YETI Coolers, Marina Casa de Campo, International Game Fish Tournament