OFFSHORE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PARTNERS WITH TBF

Photo Courtesy of Chris Van Leeuwen The Offshore World Championship and The Billfish Foundation announced a partnership to advance billfish science last month. The project, including OWC, The Billfish Foundation, Marina Pez Vela, the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), the Presidential Challenge of Central America, Costa Sunglasses, King Sailfish Mounts and the Bonnier Corporation called upon tournament anglers and crews during this year’s event to tag & collect valuable billfish data. With the incredible volume of sailfish found off Quepos, Costa Rica during the past few seasons, coupled with many of the world’s best offshore anglers fishing the

TBF/SEAKEEPERS JOINT EVENT

Over 100 guests attended the exclusive member’s only The Billfish Foundation (TBF) and International Seakeepers Society joint event to promote  membership and announce a partnership between both organizations to collaborate on billfish conservation. The event, free for all TBF & SeaKeepers members, was hosted during the Miami Yacht & Brokerage Show on Thursday, February 12th on the Golfito Marina Villageand Denison Dock. Art work and furniture from Tony Ludovico was prominently featured, appetizers were sponsored by Savvy Graphics, and drinks were sponsored by Sailfish Brewery & ORCA coolers were enjoyed by all. TBF and Seakeepers will be planning several more member’s only events in south Florida throughout the year so be sure your membership

The Billfish Foundation’s International Tag & Release Awards – 2014 Award Winners

Each year, TBF relies on the sportfishing community across the world to report their billfish tag and release information. Since it began in 1990, TBF’s Tag & Release Program anglers, captains and mates worldwide have made this program the largest private billfish tagging database in the world with over 220,000 tag and release records.  This valuable data is needed to further billfish science and ensure that fishing opportunities are available for future generations. Without the dedication of these individuals around the world, what is known about billfish science and the advances in conservation, would not be possible today

TBF’S INTERNATIONAL TAG & RELEASE AWARDS 2014 AWARD WINNERS

Each year, TBF relies on the sportfishing community across the world to report their billfish tag and release data. Since it began in 1990, TBF’s Tag & Release Program now has the largest private billfish tagging database in the world, with over 220,000 tag and release records.  This valuable data is required to further billfish science needed to help fishing opportunities remain available for future generations. Without the dedication of these individuals around the world, what is known about billfish would be far less and conservation would have suffered. To recognize their tag and release efforts, each year

2014 TAG & RELEASE WINNERS!

The tag and release reports are in and the results have finally been tallied. This year was truly a record year for billfish anglers and for TBF’s Tag & Release Program. Below are some of the top anglers and captains from across the world at the apex of this amazing sport. Congratulations to all the winners and we hope to see everyone at our awards ceremony on Friday, February 13 in the Treetop Ballroom at Jungle Island during the 2015 Miami International Boat Show. See below for more information. Winners are asked to RSVP for the event by Monday January 12. 

COSTA/TBF RELEASE REPORT CHALLENGE

Anglers are the ones who can truly make a difference for the future of our billfish species. They’re the ones out there, every day, in all kinds of conditions and climates, catching and releasing fish, watching their patterns, noting their movements. Imagine how much data about highly migratory fish species we could study if we could gather every tournament anglers’ catch reports during the Quest for the Crest tournament series?” asked Amanda Perryman, marketing manager with Costa Sunglasses. The Billfish Foundation (TBF) and Costa wanted to find out the answer to that question together. So they created the

Enchanted Forest Masquerade Ball – TBF’S 2014 Gala Fundraising Dinner

The Enchanted Forest’s Top Event Sponsors “Heroes for the 2014 Gala” Louisiana Cat • Bacardi Dragonfly Boatworks • Cox Maritime Law • Casa de Campo Marina Garmin • One Vanilla • West Coast Fishing Club • Casa Vieja Lodge Harry Gaines Kenai River Fishing • Kenai River Sportfishing Association • JM Lexus C&L Insurance • King Sailfish Release Mounts • Blue Haven Resort & Panoply Charters Top Evening Check Donors Hatteras Blue Marlin Club – $50,000 • Mobile Big Game Fishing Club – $39,000 Costa Sunglasses – $27,823.69 • Orange Beach Billfish Classic – $26,000 Presidential Challenge –

RYBOVICH LIFETIME CONSERVATION AWARDS PRESENTED AT TBF’S ENCHANTED FOREST MASQUERADE BALL

The Billfish Foundation’s most prestigious award, the Rybovich Lifetime Conservation Award, is named in honor of the late John Rybovich, a pioneer in billfish conservation and sportfishing vessel design. This year’s winners represent the marine publishing industry, the field of billfish science and an individual advocate and organizer for advancing responsible fishing. C.M. “Rip” Cunningham – of Boston, Massachusetts began 41 years ago as an associate editor with SaltWater Sportsman magazine where he educated anglers not only on fishing and boating techniques and products, but equally on the importance of participating in the fishery conservation and management processes

SAFE HANDLING PRACTICES

Photo courtesy of Laurent Cherubin Did you know that removing a billfish from the water not only causes unnecessary harm to the fish, but in the Atlantic it is illegal to remove any highly migratory fish from the water that is  not harvested. Learn how to ensure safe, healthy billfish release and  still get great pictures of your catch without harming the fish. Keep Them in the Water and Keep Them Alive Can you remember the first billfish you caught? For those lucky enough to have caught a marlin, sailfish, or swordfish, the memory of the first billfish is

SAILFISHING TIPS FROM SAILSMEN FISHING TEAM

Winter is approaching and that means one thing for us down here in South Florida, the return of the world class sailfish bite. Anglers begin to anticipate the onset of the season’s first cold snaps and along with that, the annual migration of Atlantic Sailfish down the coast. Some anglers let us know how a finesse game can not only help keep you in the money, but be better for the fish as well. The beauty of this near shore fishery is that just about anyone can get in on the action; however some   anglers take this season a bit more