Just when it seems that the excitement from last year’s Tag & Release Award Ceremony has begun to wind down, we’ve started ramping up for the 2016 competition. This year we will be debuting a few exciting new things for captains and crews, so keep checking in at http://www.billfish.org/competition for official rules and announcements coming soon!

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 competition is categorized by billfish species, ocean, and whether the fish were tagged or released untagged. Award winners will be recognized at TBF’s Annual Tag & Release Awards Ceremony held during the Miami International Boat Show presented by the TBF Tag and Release Sponsors: Bisbee’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fund, Casa Vieja Lodge, Costa Sunglasses, Garmin, Pelagic, and Yeti.

The “Top Five” in most of the competition categories are highlighted below. This list constitutes the tag and release records received from around the world and either entered online or processed by TBF as of March 30, 2016. Regional competition standings will be updated soon.

Do you know anyone on the list? Are you in the top five and want to be recognized by the who’s who in the billfishing community at our ceremony? Be sure to tag, release, and report your billfish catches before the end of the competition on October 31, 2016. Remember you can submit your records online now at www.tagbillfish.org or you can submit them through the mail. The last date that TBF can receive tag and release cards for this competition year is November 15, 2016.

As of 3/30/16

OVERALL RELEASE CAPTAIN

1. 1. Brad Philipps
2. 2. Ben Horning
3. 3. Dean Panos
4. 4. Victor Julio Lopez Pizarro
5. 5. Chris Bays

OVERALL TAGGING CAPTAIN

1. 1. Ben Horning
2. 2. Doug Covin
3. 3. Randy Bradley
4. 4. Perry Rosalie
5. 5. Rolly Pierre

OVERALL RELEASE ANGLER

1. 1. John Duvall
2. 2. Chris Jessen
3. 3. Laura Jessen
4. 4. Bill Pino
5. 5. Paul Poulter

OVERALL TAGGING ANGLER

1. 1. John Henry David
2. 2. Laura Jessen
3. 3. Chris Jessen
4. 4. Stephan Kreupl
5. 5. Russell Bartlett

OVERALL RELEASE LADY ANGLER

1. 1. Laura Jessen
2. 2. Sharon Poulter
3. 3. Amanda Cofer
4. 4. CeCe Imbrie
5. 5. Tiffany Day

OVERALL TAGGING LADY ANGLER

1. 1. Laura Jessen
2. 2. Brandi Reed
3. 3. Dawn Samuels
4. 4. Kumie Saegusa
5. 5. Luena Amaro

OVERALL RELEASE YOUTH ANGLER

1. 1. Toby Mason

OVERALL TAGGING YOUTH ANGLER

1. 1. Toby Mason
2. 2. Shawn MacMullin
3. 3. Oliver Hoffman
4. 4. Sebastian Ortiz Stoessel
5. 5. Aidan Burke

TOP TAGGING ANGLER – ATLANTIC

Blue Marlin

1. 1. Rafael Gomes Ferreira
2. 2. Jean Paul Bonnin
3. 3. Gordo Heldewier
4. 4. Armand Pandjou

Sailfish

1. 1. Jose Juncadella
2. 2. Wayne Jenkins
3. 3. Shawn MacMullin
4. 4. Scott Nichols
5. 5. Luis Van Dunem

TOP RELEASE ANGLER – ATLANTIC

Sailfish

1. 1. CeCe Imbrie
2. 2. Chris Deleo
3. 3. Charlie Schiffert
4. 4. Sandra MacMillan
5. 5. Eric Hull

TOP TAGGING CAPTAIN – ATLANTIC

Blue Marlin

1. 1. Stephane Millez
2. 2. Igor Assad
3. 3. Richard Peeples
4. 4. Olivier Bossard

Sailfish

1. 1. Doug Covin
2. 2. Sebastian Juncadella
3. 3. Bouncer Smith
4. 4. Iain Nicolson
5. 5. Gary Clifford

TOP RELEASE CAPTAIN – ATLANTIC

Blue Marlin

1. 1. Myles Colley

Sailfish

1. 1. Dean Panos
2. 2. Jeff Scott
3. 3. Doug Covin
4. 4. John Dudas
5. 5. Gene Lebron

White Marlin

1. 1. Mike Standing

TOP TAGGING ANGLER – PACIFIC

Black Marlin

1. 1. Stephan Kreupl

Blue Marlin

1. 1. Chris Jessen
2. 2. Laura Jessen

Sailfish

1. 1. John Henry David
2. 2. Laura Jessen
3. 3. Chris Jessen
4. 4. Thomas Garmany
5. 5. Darryl Schroeder

Striped Marlin

1. 1. Brandi Reed
2. 2. John Duvall
3. 3. Rico Sakko
4. 4. Oliver Hoffman
5. 5. Kumie Saegusa

TOP RELEASE ANGLER – PACIFIC

Black Marlin

1. 1. Jason Shearwater

Blue Marlin

1. 1. Laura Jessen
2. 2. Chris Jessen

Sailfish

1. 1. John Duvall
2. 2. Chris Jessen
3. 3. Laura Jessen
4. 4. Bill Pino
5. 5. Paul Poulter

TOP TAGGING CAPTAIN – PACIFIC

Black Marlin

1. 1. Tim Richardson

Blue Marlin

1. 1. Ben Horning
2. 2. Al Gustavson
3. 3. Chris Van Leeuwen

Sailfish

1. 1. Ben Horning
2. 2. Thomas “Tucker” Colquhoun
3. 3. Rich Hamilton
4. 4. Ramiro Ortiz
5. 5. Callum Parrott

Striped Marlin

1. 1. Alex Rogers
2. 2. Julio Coya
3. 3. Jaime Gonzales
4. 4. Bernabe Ruiz

TOP RELEASE CAPTAIN – PACIFIC

Black Marlin

1. 1. Brett Alty
2. 2. Tim Richardson
3. 3. Laurie Wright
4. 4. Blue Marlin
5. 5. Ben Horning

Sailfish

1. 1. Brad Philipps
2. 2. Ben Horning
3. 3. Victor Julio Lopez Pizarro
4. 4. Chris Bays
5. 5. Carlos Alverenaga

Striped Marlin

1. 1. Ty Valli

TOP TAGGING ANGLER  – INDIAN

Blue Marlin

1. 1. Scott MacGowan

Sailfish

1. 1. Russell Bartlett
2. 2. Mike Mason
3. 3. Henry Riggs-Miller

TOP TAGGING CAPTAIN – INDIAN

Black Marlin

1. 1. Randy Bradley
2. 2. Antoine Hoareau

Blue Marlin

1. 1. Randy Bradley
2. 2. Jo-Ann Riley
3. 3. Ross Newton
4. 4. Peter Faulkner

Sailfish

1. 1. Rolly Pierre
2. 2. Randy Bradley
3. 3. Perry Rosalie
4. 4. Aaron Lyle-Manes
5. 5. Bomber Farrell

FEMALE DIVISION (TAG)

1. 1. Laura Jessen
2. 2. Brandi Reed
3. 3. Dawn Samuels
4. 4. Kumi Saegusa

FEMALE DIVISION (RELEASE)

1. 1. Laura Jessen
2. 2. Sharon Poulter
3. 3. Amanda Cofer
4. 4. Cece Imbrie
5. 5. Tiffany Day

YOUTH DIVISION (TAG)

8 and under

1. 1. Sebastian Ortiz Stoessel

11 – 12

1. 1. Aidan Burke

13 – 15

1. 1. Oliver Hoffman

16 – 17

1. 1. Toby Mason
2. 2. Shawn MacMullin

YOUTH DIVISION (RELEASE)

16-17

1. 1. Toby Mason