Following the overwhelming success of our Virtual Gala in 2020, we knew that we couldn’t return to a solely in-person event in 2021. That’s why we are so excited to…
Pat Healey, of Ocean City, NJ is President and CEO of Viking Yachts, a family-owned and operated bat manufacturer occupying 1 million square feet in New Greta and Mullica, N.J. …
The Tag & Release Program is the cornerstone conservation program of The Billfish Foundation. Created in 1990, it was established to remedy the large gaps in knowledge of billfish life…
The Billfish Foundation’s Annual Gala is almost here! Join us at the Harbor Beach Marriott in Fort Lauderdale on October 29th at 6 pm for an out-of-this-world Space-themed event. The…
Currently, the NMFS is considering making many changes to the fishery management plan for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) – Bluefin Tuna. Redistributing tonnage allocations to each managed Fishing Category,…
We at The Billfish Foundation are pleased to announced the winners of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Awards. The award is named in honor of a former board member and pioneer…
Listed below are the top 5 captains and anglers in each category for The Billfish Foundation’s Tag & Release Competition as of September 10, 2021. This is the final rankings…
Traditional tagging of billfish for science produce very valuable data, especially with TBF’s and the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) tagging databases spanning decades. In turn, the data helps support…
NOAA Fisheries increased the retention limits of large sharks in the Gulf of Mexico through the end of 2021. As of August 24th, fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico who…
For the first time in over a year, the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) was held in Orlando, FL. This trade show brought the fishing community together and…
As of 11:30pm on August 4th, 2021, fishing via the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna General Category is closed. NOAA Fisheries announced the closure because the 277.9 mt subquota for June through…
With travel opening up, the TBF Team hit the road (or, more accurately, the water) to promote conservation. It’s our goal to be everywhere the action happens, representing billfish conservation…
This month the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) accepted applications for Exempted Fishing Permits (EFP) for which decisions will be made in September for the following fishing year. One application…
The current proposed Amendment 13 to the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan may reallocate the U.S. Atlantic quota share of Bluefin Tuna among Fishing Categories (Angling, Longline, General,…
The Billfish Foundation maintains the largest private tag and release database in the world, with 260,000 records by 150,000 anglers. In 2020 alone, TBF anglers and captains tagged, released, or…
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) approved Amendment 12 to the Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery Management Plan (FMP), which adds bullet and frigate mackerel as ecosystem component (EC) species. EC…
The Billfish Foundation is proud to join the Center for Sportfishing Policy (CSP) as a Sustaining Partner. CSP works to maximize opportunities for saltwater anglers and advocate for the conservation…
On May 11, 2021 at 11:30pm, the Northern Area Trophy Bluefin Fishery closed to angling. It will remain closed for the remainder of the year. The Northern Area is the…
The Billfish Foundation maintains the largest private tag and release database in the world, with 260,000 records by 150,000 anglers. In 2020 alone, TBF anglers and captains tagged, released, or…
As of May 4 at 11:30pm, the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Angling Category Gulf of Mexico Incidental Trophy Fishery is closed. This means that no anglers may land, possess, or retain…
Listed below are the top 5 captains and anglers in each category for The Billfish Foundation’s Tag & Release Competition as of April 28, 2021. If a category is missing,…
The Billfish Foundation maintains the largest private tag and release database in the world, with 260,000 records by 150,000 anglers. In 2020 alone, TBF anglers and captains tagged, released, or…
The Billfish Foundation maintains the largest private tag and release database in the world, with 260,000 records by 150,000 anglers. In 2020 alone, TBF anglers and captains tagged, released, or…
Fort Lauderdale, FL – On March 19 and 20, stakeholders and experts from over 11 countries and 10 organizations descended upon south Florida and took part in a workshop to…
The Billfish Foundation believes in conservation through sportfishing by using Research, Education, and Advocacy. Support TBF and ensure that fishing opportunities are available for future
On February 13, 2015 The Billfish Foundation will honor conservation achievements at the 2015 Tag and Release Ceremony held at Miami’s Jungle Island Treetop Ballroom. The Tag and Release Ceremony sponsored by Bisbee’s…
Miami, FL – The Big Game Room, the place to explore the latest that sport fishing has to offer is celebrating this year. Ten years ago, the producers of the…
What do you get with you combine creative high school students, The Billfish Foundation (TBF), and blank mounts from King Sailfish Mounts? After a several weeks, you get beautifully unique…
On December 18th 2012, The Billfish Foundation submitted a letter on behalf of its members regarding the potential issuance of Exempted Fishing Permits (EMPs) that would allow longline vessels to…
The Billfish Foundation is proud to announce the Award Winners for the 2012 Tag and Release Competition. This year TBF received nearly 7,000 tag and release reports from all over…
Ever wonder how scientists and The Billfish Foundation (TBF) learn more about billfish? Well, The Billfish Foundation is proud to release a short movie called ‘Moneyfi$h’, a Waterlust film on…
A special exhibit, “ART & THE BILLFISH,” done by the by members from the National Art Honor Society & Photography Club, many of whom are Marine Magnet students, all from…
Santa Marta, Colombia – On November 4, 2012 The Billfish Foundation (TBF) and the Secretariat of the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)…
The start of 2012 has been a success for The Billfish Foundation and the conservation that we do. From all over the world, TBF members have sent pictures highlighting another…
The TBF Experience is giving away trips to top bill fishing destinations with some of the best captains in the world. Join The Billfish Foundation, and you could win the…
On October 26, 2012 come celebrate a night to remember at TBF’s 26th Annual Gala Fundraiser with Aquatic Culinary Creations, Live Entertainment, and both silent and live auctions while you…
FT LAUDERDALE, Florida, USA — Ms. Ellen Peel, the much respected president and CEO of The Billfish Foundation, who has also served for three years as a U.S. representative to…
Paul Veale, an alumnus of the Southern Methodist University, won our fourteenth Collegiate Billfish National Championship (CBNC) Costa Sunglasses drawing. He won by being an active member of The Billfish…
KLHS0OjJ8 I am sure many of you have seen this video already and TBF wanted to respond to what we saw in the view. The excessive killing of the juvenile…
FT LAUDERDALE, Fla., — A gentleman sportsman long known for his work in conservation on many fronts, especially along the Pacific coast, Paxson H. Offield, received TBF’s Rybovich Lifetime Achievement…
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Costa Rica, one of the world’s premier sportfishing destinations, has named Herbert Nanne, and Monica Gutierrez to the country’s recently formed Sportfishing and Tourism Commission.…
The college football season has just begun with fall practice, who do you think will win it all this year? While you might not have a chance to actively participate…
Every year, The Billfish Foundation (TBF) recognizes the captains, mates and anglers (including youth and ladies) who tag and release the most billfish in each of the world’s oceans. The…
Because overfished Atlantic marlin receive no government research funding priority, large data gaps relating to their life history characteristics remain. Satellite tagging provides a means to fill some of the…
The Pacific Fishery Management Counsel is proposing to authorize the use of shallow-set longline gear to fish for swordfish off the West Coast of the United States. Below are the…
NOAA is considering an amendment to the current Fishery Management Plan for Coral and Coral Reef Resources in Gulf of Mexico. The amendment establishes new and modifies existing habitat areas…
NOAA Fisheries has released updated compliance guides for recreational fishing of highly migratory species in the Atlantic Ocean. These guides include detailed anatomical figures, identification charts, and species-specific bag limits,…
As of 11:30pm on October 13th, 2019, the general category Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery has closed. This closure will persist through November, which signifies the end of the current subquota…
NOAA fisheries announced third quarter landing updates for bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, skipjack tuna, northern albacore, and swordfish. These landings include all fish landed commercially and recreationally by…
In July, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) drafted a proposal to create a recreational limit for blackfin tuna in Florida and the surrounding federal waters. In it’s…
The Billfish Foundation is encouraged by the comments made by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) regarding the proposed actions of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NFMS). As…
As promised, below are TBF’s final comments for the NMFS initiative that will potentially decimate billfish populations and harm the recreational fishing community. As a reminder, the new NMFS proposal…
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing initiatives that once again ignore the recreational fishing community and do not benefit billfish conservation. NMFS seeks to reinvigorate commercial catch by…
The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission recently announced new requirements for fisheries targeting tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). These new regulations intend to reduce sea turtle bycatch but have…
A new TBF-supported study out of the University of Miami made great strides in understanding the relationship between age and growth of Atlantic blue marlin. The study examined growth annuli…
NOAA Fisheries announced new 2019 baseline quotas for North Atlantic albacore tuna, North and South Atlantic swordfish, and Atlantic bluefin tuna (reserve category). These updates come as a result of…
Earlier last week, NOAA Fisheries announced that they are considering changes to the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan and we will be monitoring and reviewing this further and providing…
As of August 20th, NOAA Fisheries finished compiling the second quarter updates for reported billfish (marlin, sailfish, and spearfish) and swordfish landings in the Atlantic. These landings include all billfish…
Just two days after the Harpoon category closure, NOAA Fisheries Highly Migratory Species Department has announced the closure of the General category for Atlantic bluefin tuna. As of 11:30pm on…
NOAA Fisheries Highly Migratory Species Department announced today the closure of the Harpoon category for Atlantic bluefin tuna due to the 91 metric ton quota being met. This closure comes…
Fifteen metric tons of Atlantic bluefin tuna quota was transferred from the Reserve Category to the Harpoon Category, bringing the total tonnage for the category to 91 metric tons and…
The first action plan from National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is a proposed Amendment 13 for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna that included a tremendous array of options to modify how Atlantic…
TBF’s most recent satellite tagging expedition kicked off with a fantastic crowd all interested in learning more about blue marlin in the Gulf of Mexico and how to help with…
The Billfish Foundation is currently engaging in a research project with Atlantic Ocean Tropical Tuna Tagging Program (AOTTP) in order to further the knowledge around lifecycles of yellowfin, bigeye, and…
NMFS proposes to modify the one-month closed zone off New Jersey and the spring two-month gear restricted area in the Gulf of Mexico to become Monitoring Zones with an annual…
Amendment 13 to the Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan proposes many options striving to maximize utilization of the U.S. bluefin quota. Half of the options propose changes to the…
The June 2019 assessment of white marlin’s relative abundance remaining in the water offered mixed results, “overfishing” had stopped, but the authorized catch limit is still being exceeded. So management…
TBF's Winthrop P. Rockefeller's Student Ocean Intern Program awards students who support billfish conservation and believe in responsible fisheries management.
TBF Responds to New Pacific Fishery Management Council Initiative