Our New Conservation Record is out!

  TBF’s 2021 Conservation Record has officially been completed and the results are in! Sometimes it can be hard to summarize all the hard work done in a year’s time, but this report acts as a really good start. In total, there were 11,822 new data entries added to The Billfish Foundation’s database in 2021, […]

Restricted Fishing Days for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

The National Marine Fisheries Service just announced a proposed rule that would establish a specific Restricted Fishing Day (RFD) schedule. Daily commercial bluefin tuna retention limits would be set to zero every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from July through November for the 2022 fishing year. Atlantic Tunas General category permitted vessels may not fish for (including catch-and-release and tag-and-release), possess, retain, land, or sell a bluefin tuna of any size class on an RFD. HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels MAY fish for, possess, retain, or land bluefin tuna recreationally under applicable HMS Angling category rules, but MAY NOT commercially fish

TBF Welcomes Boaters List as a New Tag & Release Sponsor!

The Billfish Foundation (TBF) is excited to announce that Boaters List, out of San Antonio, Texas, is a new sponsor of TBF’s cornerstone program, our Tag and Release program.  Widely recognized for its success, The Billfish Foundation’s Tag and Release Program is renowned worldwide by those in the billfish community who want to ensure the future of the sport. Anglers report the billfish they tag and release and assist TBF and our scientists gather data about the fish. “Boaters List launched with a driven mission, first and foremost, to build a community of like-minded boaters and water enthusiasts.  The

Publication from North Carolina State Questions Atlantic Blue Marlin Post Release Survival

A science paper published in the Journal of Aquatic Animal Health, written by E. Houck et al., from North Carolina State University in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Center for Marine Science & Technology, raised questions whether skeletal injuries caused by recreational fishing tackle could decrease post-release survival in Atlantic blue marlin.  Skeletal injuries in the jaw area of 6 blue marlin caught with artificial lures and J-hooks and landed in the 2019 Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament were examined. The conclusion, it was “suspected” that the hook injuries to the jaw had little impact on post-release

Atlantic Marlin Fishing Now All Catch & Release Though Year’s End Because 250 Landing Cap Exceeded

All Three Species (Atlantic Blue Marlin, White Marlin and Roundscale Spearfish) Must be Released by US Flagged Boats For The Remainder of 2020. Starting on September 30, 2020, through December 31, 2020, NOAA Fisheries is requiring catch-and-release fishing only for Atlantic blue marlin, white marlin, and roundscale spearfish in all areas of the Atlantic Ocean. […]

Summer Tournament Update

The Billfish Foundation is a proud beneficiary of tournaments that support billfish conservation either by limiting billfish catches to all release, setting size limits to minimize the number of billfish landed, or using landed billfish for research, or by donating a portion of their proceeds to TBF for support of research, education, and advocacy. July 4, 2020 All Ports July 15 – 18, 2020 Port Aransas, Texas July 21 – 26, 2020 Port O’Connor, Texas July 23 – 25, 2020 New Orleans, Louisiana July 28 – August 1, 2020 Freeport, Texas August 8-9, 2020 Marina Flamingo, Costa Rica

2019 Conservation Record: Black Marlin

The Billfish Foundation maintains the largest private tag and release database in the world, with over 260,000 records. In 2019 alone, over 11,000 new tag, release, and recapture records were added to this database, representing an enormous amount of data to help us learn more about billfish life history. Of these over 11,000 new records in 2019, 502 were of black marlin, including one black marlin recapture. 66% of black marlin were released without tags, while 34% were tagged. To learn more about how to identify a black marlin, check out our youtube channel! A total of 172 black

Updated English and Spanish Atlantic HMS Compliance Guides

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, landing information, and reporting requirements. The guides also include information on permitting, gear restrictions, sale restrictions, chartering, and tournaments. We recommend fishers keep copies of this guide on hand (either printed out or on their phones) when they’re out fishing. This way, you can ensure that you’re following all the necessary regulations to ensure that billfish and other highly migratory species are around for generations to come. A summary

Learning to Fish Via Youtube?

Sportfishing is an art/skill that cannot be mastered quickly.  It takes time, energy, failure, and money to become an accomplished angler. The interesting aspect of fishing is the pressure that goes along with it. Many fishermen are not “professional” and have regular day jobs. Thus, they may only fish a couple times a month or a few times a year to hone their skill. Due to this, there is stress to try to make every trip a fantastic event because of the irregularity of trips.  Plus, fishing is a hands-on sport. For example, pitch baiting marlin is not

Atlantic Billfish Recreational Landings Update

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just released their preliminary 2018 (January 1, 2018 through June 30, 2018) landings in numbers of fish for Atlantic blue and white marlin, roundscale spearfish, and western Atlantic sailfish.  While many tournaments had not happened yet, we still believe that the recreational community will be well below our annual quota for billfish landed. Landings are compiled using self-reported angler reports from the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Non-Tournament Recreational Swordfish and Billfish Landings Database; tournament landings from the Atlantic Tournament Registration & Reporting  system; catch card reports from North Carolina and Maryland; and individual