Blue Marlin Satellite Tagging in the Gulf of Mexico

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 data gaps by recording a marlin’s location and movement in the water column, both horizontal and vertical. Each tag records variables in sunlight levels, water temperature and pressure that is converted to location and movement. Movement data then provides insight to such elements as whether oil rigs, which serve as large Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs), modify marlin movements and whether marlin remain in the region all year because

NOAA Proposes Fishing Regulations in Gulf of Mexico

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 of particular concern (HAPC), specifically coral habitats. An HAPC is a subset of essential fish habitat that is either ecologically important, sensitive to human degradation, currently stressed, or rare. Being essential fish habitat means that these coral reefs are essential to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity. With the potential passage of this amendment, NOAA hopes to protect these essential coral habitats against further degradation

Satellite Tagging Expedition – Gulf of Mexico Blue Marlin

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 tag deployment. Tag program sponsors Costa and Yeti actively participated and had a videographer capture all the action. The New Orleans Big Game Fishing Club provided the perfect location and libations at its new Club House within the confines of the Cypress Cove Marina and Lodge’s property. An over-the-top seafood extravaganza was sponsored by the Louisiana Seafood Board, thanks to Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser and the Cypress

Options to maximize Bluefin Tuna in the Atlantic Ocean

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 pelagic longline fishery’s Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) current management strategy and the other half proposes options that include all managed fishing Categories, including the Angling Category.  Three Key Amendment Options:              1. Abolish Purse Seine Category  – because no bluefin tuna have been landed since 2015, the unused tonnage should be redistributed to other fishing Categories, except for the pelagic longline vessels in the Gulf of Mexico.             

Bluefin Tuna Angling Category Gulf of Mexico Area Trophy Fishery Closure!

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 inches or greater. The incidental Angling category fishery for trophy bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico will close effective 11:30 p.m., May 31, 2019, through December 31, 2019. More information can be found in the Federal Register notice. Persons aboard vessels permitted in the Atlantic HMS Angling and Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat categories fishing recreationally in the Gulf of Mexico may not retain, possess, or land large medium

2018 Tag & Release Competition Update

Here are the current standings in all categories (except Cape Verde, apologies, we’re working on it) as of October 5, 2018. Scroll through, find your name, find your friend’s name! Fishing for the competition year ends on October 31 and all reports must be in either digitally or mailed into the office by November 15. Winners will be announced via email and regular mail by mid-December. OVERALL RELEASE CAPTAIN Ben Horning –  Jupiter, Florida, USA Ronnie Fields –  Lake Park, Florida, USA Nicholas Gonzalez – Miami, Florida, USA Stuart Simpson – Durban, South Africa Dennis Endee –

Analysis of Minimum Length for Blue Marlin Tournaments

The Billfish Foundation’s newest Winthrop P. Rockefeller Ocean Program intern, Nick Becker, a recent graduate from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, worked with blue marlin tournaments out of the Gulf of Mexico for his thesis. His project was to evaluate the size minimums on harvested blue marlin. In order to be harvested, blue marlin must meet the federal size minimum of 99 inches in length. While most blue marlin tournaments have larger size minimums than the federal minimum; however, in some cases, there is room for improvement. Specifically, Nick’s master’s thesis, in conjunction with Dr. Grant

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

Tag & Release Competition Update

Our annual Tag & Release competition is about 3/4 over and we will crown this year’s winners later this year at our Tag and Release Award Ceremony in February. We are highlighting the “Top Five” in many of the competition categories. This list constitutes the tag and release records processed by TBF as of July 16, 2018. We will post an updated version soon with the regional competitions. Do you know anyone on there? Are you in the top five and want to be recognized by the who’s who in the billfishing community at our ceremony? The end

Protect the Option to Incidentally catch & land a Bluefin Tuna in the Gulf of Mexico

Over the past several years, the bluefin tuna (BFT) incidental bite in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has picked up. Through the efforts of TBF, GOM anglers have an allocation of 1.5 metric tons or 3,306.93 pounds of Atlantic bluefin tunas, which permits the landing of a few good-size fish.  (Only 1 per boat per year.) This year’s incidental bluefin tuna allocation for anglers in the Gulf of Mexico was met when a bluefin tuna was brought to the docks in Panama City, FL. Just a few days earlier two other big bluefin were landed off Venice, LA