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…
The National Marine Fisheries Service is adjusting the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) General category daily retention limit from three large medium or giant BFT per vessel per day/trip to ONE…
The U.S. pelagic longline closed zones and gear restricted areas were established to reduce bycatch of juvenile swordfish by protecting nursery grounds, overfished marlin, sailfish, which remain overfished, large coastal…
Based on the best available landings information, NOAA Fisheries has determined that the subquota of 1.8 mt for the Angling category northern area trophy bluefin tuna fishery has been reached. The…
NOAA Fisheries just announced an inseason change to the Swordfish General Commercial permit retention limits in the Northwest Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and U.S. Caribbean regions, as shown in the table…
Exempted Fishing Permits were issued by the Pacific Fishery Management Council on April 29, 2019 to two vessels to fish off the U.S. west coast in federal waters (Exclusive Economic Zone)…
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recently released an Options Paper to amend the current Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) strategy, implemented to reduce incidental bycatch of bluefin, in the pelagic…
NEEDS ALL ANGLERS ATTENTION – The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) launched a new and very comprehensive process for evaluating the success or inefficiencies of current Pelagic Longline Closed Zones…
NOAA just released the 1st quarter landing update for the recreational fishing community. While only 1 blue marlin has been landed in the 1st quarter, we expect the number of…
NOAA Fisheries has determined that the subquota of 1.8 mt for the Angling category Gulf of Mexico trophy bluefin tuna fishery has been reached. Trophy bluefin are those measuring 73…
The Billfish Foundation submitted our comments to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to consider Bullet Tunas, Auxis rochei, and similar Frigate Mackerel, Auxis thazard to the dolphin/wahoo fishery management plan…
NOAA Fisheries is adjusting the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) daily retention limits that apply to vessels permitted in the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Angling category and the HMS Charter/Headboat category…
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southeast Fishery Science Center, is further diminishes support for billfish research, now by not facilitating funding of a respected billfish scientist! This is a…
EPA & Corp Proposal to Repeal Clean Water Rule – Anglers & Hunters Oppose The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Corps of…
Saltwater ecosystem dynamics include not just the marine habitat, but also the creatures, overfishing, predator/prey interaction, pollution, temperature changes, etc. Yet the primary fishery management law of the U.S., the…
TBF joined many other recreational fishing organizations in calling on House Subcommittee on Energy and Water to approve $210 million dollars for the Army Corps of Engineers in support of…
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…
NOAA announced a proposed rule to designate critical habitat for the endangered Rice’s whale under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) even though a decision on the vessel speed in the…
The first offshore wind power lease auction in the Gulf of Mexico will offer a 10 percent credit to developers who contribute to a fisheries compensation fund for commercial and…
Speed Reduction Zones – TBF opposes the two recently issued proposals by NMFS and NOAA to apply extreme vessel speed reductions (10.5 mph) along the East Coast to all vessels…
After 23 years of defending the Closed Zones off the U.S. East Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) just shared its options in…
The proposed sale is part of the leasing project announced by the DOI in 2021 to meet the Biden administration’s goal to deploy thirty gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity…
Scientists at the University of Maine need Atlantic blue marlin that weigh over 800 lbs and Atlantic swordfish over 500 lbs, specifically their heads, and the fork length measurement. They are…
Last week, the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) released the 2023 Economic Contributions of Recreational Fishing: U.S. Congressional Districts report, an update of previous data in partnership with Southwick Associates. The…
Under the proposed rule, NOAA Fisheries will establish RFDs every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from July 1 through November 30, 2023, and every Tuesday and Friday from December 1, 2023,…
TBF's Winthrop P. Rockefeller's Student Ocean Intern Program awards students who support billfish conservation and believe in responsible fisheries management.
Action Alert – Comments due for Forage Fish soon!