2014 TAG AND RELEASE CEREMONY RECAP

On February 13, 2014 The Billfish Foundation honored conservation achievements at the 2014 Tag and Release Ceremony held at Miami’s Jungle Island Treetop Ballroom in front of a crowd of more than 200 individuals. The 24th annual Tag and Release Ceremony was sponsored by Bisbee’s Fish & Wildlife Conservation Fund  and the awards were presented by King Sailfish Mounts.  TBF would also like to thank all of our Tag and Release Program Sponsors (Casa Vieja Lodge, Costa Sunglasses, and Pelagic Gear) for sponsoring TBF’s cornerstone program for billfish conservation. The incredible ceremony would not be possible without the support of Deceiver Charters for sponsoring the open bar

WELCOME CASA VIEJA LODGE AS A TAG & RELEASE PROGRAM SPONSOR!

The Billfish Foundation (TBF) is proud to announce that Casa Vieja Lodge is TBF’s newest Tag and Release Program partner. They join King Sailfish Mounts, Pelagic Gear, and Bisbee’s Black and Blue, and Costa Sunglasses as sponsors of TBF’s cornerstone conservation program. Established in 1990, The Billfish Foundation’s Tag and Release Program is the largest private billfish tagging database in the world, and is the cornerstone of TBF’s conservation and advocacy efforts. David and Kristen Salazar, the new owners of Casa Vieja Lodge, one of the world’s premier saltwater sports fishing destinations, are pleased to announce an expanded relationship

TBF SUBMITS COMMENTS FOR AMENDMENT 7 FOR BLUEFIN TUNA MANAGEMENT

On January 10,The Billfish Foundation (TBF) submitted official comments to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for Draft Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for bluefin tuna. Within the comments TBF strongly opposed the proposed conditional access to the current pelagic longline closed zones, supported the creation of a Gulf of Mexico Gear Restricted Area (GRA), and advocated for a separate Trophy allocation for Gulf of Mexico anglers. Additionally, TBF questioned the feasibility of an Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) for longline vessels and opposed the reallocation of Angling quota to the Longline category

TBF ANNOUNCES THE 2013 TAG AND RELEASE AWARD WINNERS

The Billfish Foundation is proud to announce the Award Winners for the 2013 Tag and Release Competition. This year TBF received nearly 7,500 tag and release reports from all over the world through both the traditional card system and TBF’s Tag and Release Online Database. Many new names have emerged in this year’s competition and we are excited to see the continued support from winners of previous tag and release awards. This year the Award Ceremony is sponsored by Bisbee’s Black & Blue Tournaments with the awards presented by TBF Tag and Release Program sponsors King Sailfish

Photo Contest Winners

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TBF/TrollPro Video Contest Winners

We asked for some of your best fishing videos and man did you guys respond! Each month, TBF and TrollPro.com would love to see your fishing videos and you could win a TrollPro just for sending in your best fishing videos to us! Check out each month’s winning video below. For your chance at winning,  submit your video to us via email, mail, or share your file via dropbox.com or Google Drive and be sure to “like” our TBF facebook pageas well as TrollPro’s Facebook page. The winning video will be posted on our social media outlets and we’ll mail out your prize

Le Cirque – TBF’s 2013 Gala and Dinner!

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TBF TALKS BILLFISH ADVOCACY IN CLASSROOM

In October, the students in South Broward High School’s Marine Policy class participated in their annual mock debates about billfish policy as they worked together to create a management plan for billfish in the United States. Groups of students represented different stakeholders in the fishery such as recreational fishermen, commercial fishermen, environmental groups, scientists, and government officials as they debated on how to implement increased conservation measures for billfish. TBF’s Andrew Cox attended the final day of debates where the students finalized their positions and came to a conclusion for a new management plan. Students were given insight

TBF MOURNS THE LOSS OF TBF CHIEF SCIENTIST, RUSSELL NELSON

Russell Nelson, The Billfish Foundation’s Chief Scientist and a former leader of the Florida Marine Fisheries Commission, has passed away. His unexpected death is a loss to those who knew him and to the fisheries he helped over a long career. When it came to ensuring healthy fish populations, Russell Nelson was the perfect combination of scientist and reason. As executive director of the Florida Marine Fisheries Commission (FMC), which later became part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Nelson helped develop regulations that brought redfish, snook and other species back from the brink of extinction

INTRODUCING THE TBF/TROLLPRO MONTHLY VIDEO CONTEST!

With billfishing at its peak in many destinations worldwide, TBF and TrollPro.comwould love to see your amazing fishing videos. Similar to our monthly photo contest, we will reward you with prizes for sending in the best short videos to us! All you need to do it submit your video to us via email, mail, or share your file via dropbox.com or Google Drive and be sure to “like” our TBF facebook page as well as TrollPro’s Facebook page. Once we contact and confirm the details of the video provider, we will post the top choices on our TBF facebook