TBF’s PhD Scholar Explores Billfish Biology at Friday Harbor Labs
This summer, TBF’s PhD scholar, Miguel Montalvo, attended a course at Friday Harbor Labs on San Juan Island, Washington. This course explored the functional aspects of the anatomy of fishes, something that is crucial to his PhD work. In his doctoral research, Miguel is delving into the intriguing evolution of billfishes, focusing on the development […]
Social Media to the Rescue: Satellite Tag Recovery
Satellite tags are invaluable tools for filling data gaps in billfish research, each worth more than $5000 and capable of transmitting a wealth of information to researchers. But did you know that recovering the tags themselves can yield even more data? In mid-April, we learned one of our satellite tags had washed up on the […]
Russell S. Nelson, Ph.D. Graduate Science Scholastic Grant
The Billfish Foundation’s Russell S. Nelson, Ph.D. Graduate Science Scholastic Grant honors a nationally acclaimed scientist who consulted for TBF for 12 years and served as Director of Florida’s Marine Fisheries Commission for 13 years. With an ability to synthesize science into policy, he could clearly explain the science to non-science thinkers and help to […]
76th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute Recap
TBF back presenting at GCFI In November of this year, three members of TBF traveled to Nassau, The Bahamas for the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute’s (GCFI) 76th Annual Conference. Peter Chaibongsai, Addie Spain, and Racine Prinzo attended the conference to present their research findings and to share ideas and perspectives on emerging fisheries science […]
TBF’s Top Achievements in 2019
With the year coming to a close, we thank you for your support, as we reflect on key achievements in 2019. Please consider joining TBF, if not already on board, or make a tax free year-end donation to support our critical billfish work. You can follow us on social media @thebillfishfoundation and be sure subscribe to our free monthly newsletter to stay updated on the latest billfish
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
YOUTH FISHING CLINIC WITH KEY BISCAYNE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Do you remember the first time you tied your first knot or caught your first fish? On April 7th 2013, young people and their parents did just that with the Key Biscayne Community Foundation (KBCF) Citizen Scientist Project at Bill Baggs State Park in Key Biscayne, Florida. Multiple stations were set up for the kids with the goal of creating ethical anglers by teaching the basics of sportfishing and by educating them on their local environment.