Tropical Tuna Tagging Program Extended
The Billfish Foundation (TBF) is looking for anglers and crews interested in tagging tuna in the Northern Atlantic. TBF is working with scientists from the Atlantic Ocean Tropical Tuna Tagging Program (AOTTP) to learn more about certain tuna species. This program, which is part of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), looks to study key aspects of bigeye, skipjack, and yellowfin tuna life history and movements in the Atlantic Ocean. The AOTTP partners with scientists and commercial and recreational tuna fishermen to tag tropical tuna with AOTTP-specific conventional and/or electronic tags throughout the Atlantic
New Blue Marlin Study Illuminates Age-Length Relationship
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 in anal fin spines of 1,638 blue marlin caught as bycatch in Venezuela to determine the age of each fish. Growth annuli are small rings inside of the fin spine that increase in number as the fish ages, much like the rings in a tree trunk. They then correlated this age information to the lower jaw fork length (LJFL) to determine how well LJFL predicts fish age. The study found
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
Gov’t Lessens Billfish Research Funding
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 worsening of the government’s longstanding low priority given to billfish, whereas the highest priorities go to the “commercially targeted fish destined for the consumer market,” mainly bluefin and bigeye tunas. While those fish are important, the amount of information we know about billfish is still sparse even though the socio-economic impact of these family of fish are extremely valuable. This makes your contributions to TBF even more important
Counting Blue Marlin in the Ocean
How many blue marlin are in the ocean? Counting them isn’t exactly feasible (though you could have fun trying!) so scientists rely on catches and how much effort these catches took over the years. This is called a catch per unit effort (or CPUE) index. But how do you measure effort? And what if the effort has changed over time? Or if the fish moved because the environment changed? To help deal with these challenges, scientists use standardization methods to smooth out changes in fishing gear or the environment. The standardized CPUE index shows the trend of the fish
Atlantic Blue Marlin Research
Atlantic blue marlin are considered by many in the sportfishing world to be THE pinnacle gamefish. A species targeted by tens of thousands anglers each year. But what do we know about these magnificent and awe-worthy fish? To be honest, not enough. We are still scratching the surface of what we know about them compared to other marine species. For example, age and growth research is basic and well documented for most species caught in commercial fisheries where data collection is readily available, but not so for billfish. TBF spearheaded research on this very topic on Atlantic blue
Sargassum Invasion
Weed, Weed – too much of a good thing? Offshore anglers know seeing and fishing a floating Sargassum weed line is a good thing for it they usually are very productive for catching dolphin fish and, if lucky, possibly a marlin. Sargassum is a brown-green microalga, or seaweed, which provides habitat for a significant variety of marine species, particularly juveniles seeking shelter from larger prey species. The structure of the Sargassum plant, includes a stem or stipe attached lateral branches with slender leaves and some have berry-like bladders that fill with air and provide buoyance. The weed plants often
Billfish Policy Update – July 2018
To keep you up to date and for your convenience, we have summarized some of the latest policies that effect billfish and our community. The Council recommended actions on: Keep up to date on all policy effecting billfish and other associated highly migratory species by signing up for TBF’s e-newsletter
Longline Research In Closed Zone: Do the Math
Last year’s halting of the federally permitted longline research inside a zone closed to the gear for 16 years off Florida’s east coast was a positive step for conservation and productive sportfishing opportunities. Unfortunately, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is again considering authorizing the project. Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is not on the new application, but their scientist remains, this time with his newly incorporated business, Fisheries Solution, LLC. Do the math Here is a breakdown of the issues behind the longline project, why TBF opposes it and why you should too: The NMFS is fully aware
Scientist Seeks to Advance Longline Research
NOVA Southeastern University Scientist and assistant professor, David W. Kerstetter, who received a federal Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) in 2017 to conduct longline research in Florida’s east coast closed zone, has submitted an application for a new EFP, but this time without including the university. In 2017, Dr. George L. Hanbury, NSU’s president, halted Kerstetter’s project when advised by TBF of the negative impacts the project could cast on the institution’s science and community relations credibility. Following that decision, on November 21, 2017, Kerstetter filed papers of incorporation for – Florida Fisheries Solution, LLC. – in whose name the
