TBF at Pirate’s Cove and MidAtlantic

The Billfish Foundation had an outstanding experience at the annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament and MidAtlantic Tournament! These events provided us with a fantastic platform to engage with local billfishing communities andraise awareness about billfish conservation and our mission. Among our booths at both tournaments, we were thrilled to see so many supporters participating in […]

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

Where Has TBF Been In 2021?

With travel opening up, the TBF Team hit the road (or, more accurately, the water) to promote conservation. It’s our goal to be everywhere the action happens, representing billfish conservation and advocating for the recreational fishing community. Here’s where we’ve been so far this year!

With all of our travel, plus our work in advocating for responsible fisheries management, managing our Tag & Release Program, creating youth education materials, and more, 2021 is shaping up to be an exciting year for TBF! Make sure you get involved by becoming

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

Changes in Reporting for HMS Tournaments

Beginning January 1, 2019, all Atlantic highly migratory species tournaments will be required to submit catch summaries. An Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) tournament is a tournament that awards points or prizes for catching Atlantic highly migratory species (i.e., swordfish, billfish, sharks and/or tunas). All Atlantic highly migratory species tournament operators will be required to submit an HMS tournament catch summary report within seven days after tournament fishing has ended. NOAA Fisheries uses the data to estimate the total annual catch of highly migratory species and the impact of tournament operations in relation to other types of fishing

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

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