On May 2, 2013 The Billfish Foundation submitted their official comments for Draft Amendment 8 for swordfish management in the United States as part of the Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fisheries Management Plan. Draft Amendment 8 proposes the establishment of a new Open-Access Commercial Handgear Permit for Swordfish as a means to increase access to fishery and decrease the amount of unharvested quota.

Even though the North Atlantic swordfish stocks are fully recovered, which represents a success story for international fisheries management, the U.S. has failed to catch its allocated quota in recent years. From 2007 to 2011, a persistent underharvest of quota at roughly 70% of the baseline has put the U.S. in jeopardy of losing unharvested quota. A number of factors have contributed to this issue including failure by many recreational anglers to report swordfish landings as well as the lack availability of commercial permits.

The authorization of new gear types into the commercial swordfish fishery, as proposed in Draft Amendment 8, may increase landings and the likelihood of the U.S. retaining its quota. The National Marine Fisheries Service believes that there will be a large shift from the recreational sector to the commercial sector since it would provide a legal way to sell swordfish to licensed dealers. It is believed that a large number of recreationally caught swordfish enter the market illegally, something that poses problems for not only fisheries management, but also health concerns. NMFS believes that more than 4,000 vessels will obtain this permit, more than 1,2000 of those coming from the ‘Florida Swordfish Management Area’. The Billfish Foundation believes that these numbers are over-inflated and have caused significant opposition by some commercial fishermen because of their inaccuracies.

NMFS is also proposing retention limits that would reduce the incentive for fishermen to obtain these permits. Additionally, these retention limits are less than what is  currently allowed for a recreational vessel. The Billfish Foundation believes that in order for this permit to be effective, a retention limit must be equal to that of the recreational catch limit (1 per person, up to 4 per vessel) for the Florida Swordfish Management area and six swordfish for the other areas. This will provide the economic incentive for individuals to obtain this permit and provide a legal avenue to sell swordfish, hopefully reducing the amount of illegal sales and transfers from recreational vessels. To read The Billfish Foundaiton’s full comments, please read below.

 The Billfish Foundation’s Official Comments for Draft Amendment 8:

TBF’s comments can can also be read by clicking here.

The Billfish Foundation has particular interest in the swordfish fishery and the development of Amendment 8 because of the importance of the fishery to both the recreational and commercial fishing industries.

To read more about this topic please check out the following stories:

• Overview of Amendment 8 for swordfish

 

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Australia’s proposed network of marine reserves is threatening to close off close to a million square kilometers to anglers, but fortunately, several scientists and organizations have been working to try and stop this from happening. A recent publication by Professor Robert Kearney in the Open Journal of Marine Science has echoed many of the points made by TBF and that the closures of vast marine zones are not logical or necessary for Australia to protect its marine resources. By some estimates, implementing these reserves will mean economic losses totaling in the billions, yet they will do little to protect from the true threats to Australia’s marine habitats. Not only is it not sound management but it is unfair to anglers and all Australians.

Australia’s fisheries management has consistently ranked among the best in the world by several independent reviews and has a history of effectively and sustainably managing its resources. In 2004, stock assessments indicated that overfishing was occurring in close to 40% of Australia’s managed fisheries. Just two years later in 2006, the percentage of overfished stocks was slashed to just 11%. Accomplished through traditional management practices of regulating catches and controlling fishing effort, the recovery of these stocks demonstrates the effectiveness of Australia’s fishery management as well as the resilience of marine species to recover from an unhealthy state. At both the national and state level, fisheries management in Australia focuses on conservation as well as promoting the sustainable use of marine resources.  So why then is Australia shutting out important user groups like anglers and forfeiting socioeconomic opportunities when they do not pose a threat to the conservation of marine resources?

Many argue that the push for marine reserves is largely due to the influence of environmental NGOs and the failure of the country to inform the public on the true nature of the issues at hand. Many NGOs do not care to take the time to inform the public that almost all fishing practices (especially sportfishing) in Australia are sustainable and well managed. Instead, environmental NGOs with imposing media campaigns have misconstrued the facts and portray a “doom and gloom” message that all forms of fishing are a threat to the marine environment. Unfortunately, environmental NGOs have led many to believe that the smallest amount of overfishing is the equivalent of an environmental catastrophe and extreme measures like marine reserves are necessary to ensure their conservation. This is all despite the fact that Australia already effectively manages its resources and that marine reserves do not address the real threats to Australia’s marine environment such as pollution or coastal development. Even recreational anglers have been negatively portrayed despite the fact that anglers are conservation oriented and are a tremendous advocate for conservation efforts. In fact, Australian anglers annually generate close to $20 million AUD through the sale of licenses that helps fund habitat restorations, stock enhancements, and enforcement. Additionally, anglers are  significant drivers of local economies through both direct spending and tourism generated from sportfishing. In New South Wales alone, recreational fishing for striped marlin is estimated to have an annual economic impact of $112 million compared to less than $5 million for that of commercial catches of striped marlin.

Currently, Australia imports 70% of its seafood, a figure that is expected to rise given the restrictions placed on fishing by the proposed marine reserves. Importing seafood means exporting the responsibility of sustainable fishing practices to other countries, which for Australia are predominately Asian countries that rank as some of the worst managed fisheries in the world. A dependence on seafood imports also draws into question issues of food security, especially for a country like Australia that is situated near many developing nations with growing demands for protein to sustain their expanding populations. In the Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve, an area of over half a million square kilometers is posed to shut all forms of fishing and create an annual loss of over 600 metric tons of tuna and swordfish that are harvested each year from this area. The displacement of these catches and highly migratory nature of these fish may mean that these fish will be harvested by nearby countries. Unlike Australia, other countries in the south Pacific do not responsibly manage their fisheries and use unsustainable practices such as those associated with high bycatch of important sportfish like billfish.

There are always two sides to every story and there is an important lesson to be learned from what is going on in Australia: stakeholders such as anglers need to take the time to educate themselves about the issues and work together to ensure that the real issues are addressed. Anglers and other important stakeholders do not have the resources or powerful social media tools of some international NGOs. They do however make efforts to conserve marine resources and make significant contributions to local economies. Unlike commercial longliners, anglers have almost no bycatch, tag and release virtually all billfish. It is unfair for NGOs to negatively portray anglers and to lock out anglers when they do not pose a threat to conserving biodiversity. Australia has demonstrated that it is capable of managing its marine resources so why try to fix something that is not broken.

The link to read Professor Kearney’s article can be found by clicking here

Full citation of article: Kearney, Robert. 2013. Australia’s Out-Dated Concern over Fishing Threatens Wise Marine Conservation and Ecologically Sustainable Seafood Supply. Open Journal of Marine Science, Vol. 3 No. 2, 2013, pp. 55-61. doi: 10.4236/ojms.2013.32006)

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The Billfish Foundation would like to welcome Pelagic Gear as a new Tag & Release Sponsor! We are excited to have them on board to support and promote TBF’s Tag & Release Program. Pelagic joins Bisbee’s Black and Blue, Costa Sunglasses, and King Sailfish Mounts as Tag & Release Sponsors for 2013.

Pelagic Gear has been a sponsor of TBF’s website section “In the Spread” for several years, but reaffirmed and increased their support of TBF’s main conservation program.

This partnership works perfectly with Pelagic’s own Ocean Conservancy Project line. This project raises funds for organizations that are on the forefront of scientific research, conservation, and recreational fisheries management. Pelagic Gear will now be on the forefront of billfish conservation!

TBF is looking forward to having Pelagic on board and excited for the future with all these great companies coming on board to support TBF’s Tag and Release Program! To learn more about becoming a sponsor of TBF, please contact us via email or by phone (954) 938 0150.

 

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The winner of TBF’s first Sid Johnson Memorial Conservation Trophy was won by team Vesper from Trinidad for releasing the most billfish during the 2012 Southern Caribbean Billfish Circuit.  The Vesper team includes boat owner Jerome Mcquilkin, Captain Gerard “Frothy” de Silva; mate Nigel Garcia, three anglers Derick Tardeau, Ayoub Kabli and James Layton.  TBF president Ellen Peel presented the trophy to Captain Frothy at the Marlin Madness tournament for the rest of the team was competing in the Bonnier World Championship in Costa Rica.

The late Sid Johnson from Trinidad was an early advocate for catch and release of billfish and fought hard to try to get Trinidad to stop allowing the distant-water-fishing nation of Taiwan from using the nation’s port as a major transshipment location.  Johnson was recognized with a Special Achievement Award by TBF in 1998 for his push for conservation, responsible fishing and fighting overfishing from distant-water-nations that overfish billfish, which they kill as bycatch. Johnson later served on TBF’s board of director and was very helpful in keeping TBF informed on issues in the southern Caribbean.

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The Billfish Foundation would like to welcome Bisbee’s Fish & Wildlife Conservation Fund as a new Grand Slam Sponsor! We are excited to have them on board and working with them to lead TBF’s Tag & Release Program into the future.

Bisbee’s Fish & Wildlife Conservation Fund (BFWCF) has partnered with The Billfish Foundation, top software developers, database experts, and environmental engineers to evaluate and redesign The Billfish Foundation’s Tag & Release program, software, and systems so that it may efficiently and effectively report a wide range of data to scientists around the world.  With your help we will learn how to better protect our waters highly migratory species.

TBF and its partners are looking at technological advances in tag designs offer scientists new information that help us understand the feeding, spawning, and migration patterns of billfish. In order to organize and utilize this new data, TBF’s Tag  & Release program needs a redesign and to be more engaging for the public so they can report and share their data. With a new and efficient program, TBF will continue help protect our oceans highly migratory species.

BFWCF does not only limit itself to billfish and the ocean, they also have a African Rhino Project. This project is an aggressive campaign to protect and prevent the poaching of the endangered African rhino. Training field rangers with state of the art technology to venture into the bush on anti-poaching patrols on private game reserves (where most of the rhinos live) is the crux of the project.

Click here to learn more about the Bisbee’s Fish & Wildlife Conservation Fund.

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Cam V. Sigler, Sr. age 71, passed away March 20, 2013 following a year- long battle with cancer.

Cam was famously recognized as the man in the “Broad Brimmed Hat” and was known for his innovative outdoor products; particularly for the sport of saltwater fly fishing. Seasoned saltwater fly anglers are well acquainted with his acclaimed billfish flies, rods, reels and tackle.

In 1968, Cam moved his family to the Pacific Northwest to accept a job with the Eddie Bauer Company. In 1986, he left Eddie Bauer to start his own business, The Cam Sigler Company, which is now one of the top names in the industry.

Cam Sr. is survived by wife Sue, sons Cam Jr. and Shane, and two granddaughters, Teal and Lily.  He was a long-time member of The Billfish Foundation and his family has designated TBF as a memorial recipient.

If you would like to make a donation in tribute to Mr. Sigler, click below or contact Deborah Cummings at (800) 438 8247 ext.106.

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Fort Lauderdale, FL – On March 19 and 20, stakeholders and experts from over 11 countries and 10 organizations descended upon south Florida and took part in a workshop to discuss and develop a billfish management and conservation plan for the nations and overseas territories under the jurisdiction of the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC). The Billfish Foundation (TBF), the International Gamefish Association (IGFA), the World Bank, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) worked to together to host this workshop that is a steps in the right direction for billfish conservation in the region. Currently there is minimal management for the species and the importance of the recreational sector is not recognized by many countries.

The initial meeting in November 2012 took place in Santa Marta, Columbia where participants discussed the Socioeconomic Impacts of Recreational Fishing and understanding the role of recreational fishing in the Caribbean. This workshop’s goals were met by meeting the key objectives of creating a Consortium on billfish management and conservation, discussing the initial draft structure of the management plan, as well as finalizing pilot projects in the Caribbean. These pilot projects will be submitted to the World Bank for funding consideration in the near future.

Updates from Caribbean Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, and Colombia on the progress of the pilot studies utilizing the “Manual on Economic Impact Assessment of Recreational Fisheries in the Wider Caribbean” were presented and discussed. Much progress is being made on these progress and TBF will continue to provide consultation as the projects continue in the future.

While the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) oversees billfish management for the Atlantic, the workshop’s discussions are important for the future management for the area and empowering the local stakeholders. The workshop brought up a number of options to strengthen relationships and possible collaborations between user groups – from local artisanal fleets to the tourism boards – who might be affected by changes in fisheries management. To that end, TBF was an active participant during the workshops but also published and distributed a report on the economic importance of sportfishing in the US territories of USVI and Puerto Rico. The hope is that all the stakeholders can learn, work together, and share the benefits of these new management schemes.

The next meeting is being proposed for the seventh World Recreational Fishing Conference which will be held in Sao Paulo State, Brazil on September 1st -4th, 2014. To learn more about WECAFC please visit their website and to read TBF’s report on the economic importance of sportfishing in Puerto Rico and the U.S.V.I. please click here.

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The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released the annual edition of Fisheries Economics of the United States for 2011, highlighting the economic impact of both recreational and commercial fishing.  In 2011, 11 million recreational anglers took 70 million saltwater fishing trips and generated $70 billion in sales impacts, $32 billion in value added impacts, and supported over 455,000 jobs nationally.

 

Taking a further look at the expenditures of U.S. anglers in 2011, a total of $4.5 billion in angler expenditures were related specifically to fishing trips with $2 billion of this for private boat-based fishing trips. Shore-based fishing trips generated $1.5 billion and for-hire-based fishing trips brought in $1 billion. The angler expenditures on fishing-related equipment for 2011 totaled over $22 billion with most related to boat expenses ($11 billion). Other major expenditures incurred by anglers included vehicle expenses ($4.1 billion), fishing tackle ($3.8 billion) and second home expenses ($2.1 billion).

 

This is great news for the recreational fishing industry because of the rise seen between 2010 and 2011, especially in the Southeast portion of the United States (South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Regions) where recreational fishing is economically important and a large driver of tourism. In 2011, around 70% of all recreational fishing jobs in the US were occupied by fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Regions. Recreational Fishing in these two regions generated $15.9 billion in fishing trip and durable equipment expenditures with $6.1 billion and $9.8 billion in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico regions respectively.

 

In 2011, 5.5 million of the 12 million saltwater anglers nationally fished in the Southeast United with 2.3 million anglers fishing in the South Atlantic region and 3.2 million anglers fishing in Gulf of Mexico region. Anglers in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico took 20 million trips and 23 million fishing trips in 2011, respectively. The large importance of the recreational fishing industry in these regions demonstrates the importance of the fisheries and the further need for conservation efforts to ensure that fishing opportunities are available for future generations.

 

The Billfish Foundation knows the importance of socioeconomic studies for the recreational fishing industry and has successfully used socioeconomic studies to further conservation and influence governments to place greater importance on their recreational fishing industries. Only with an increased knowledge of the socioeconomic impacts of anglers around the world can a unified voice be created for anglers to demonstrate their importance as an industry that needs to be recognized.

Read the Report Here

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On February 15, 2013 The Billfish Foundation honored conservation achievements at the 2013 Tag and Release Ceremony held at Miami’s Jungle Island Treetop Ballroom in front of a crowd of more than 170 individuals representing nine countries, the largest crowd in Tag & Release Ceremony history. The Tag and Release Ceremony sponsored by Bisbee’s Black and Blue recognized the 42 winners of the 2012 Tag and Release Competition and award winners received beautiful trophies sponsored by King Sailfish Mounts. All award winners in attendance received sunglasses courtesy of Costa and overall winners each received a lure from Bonze Lures.

 

TBF’s Overall Tagging Angler Winner for all species (any combination of blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin, white marlin, sailfish and/or spearfish) included Juan Cruz Anon (Miami, Fla., USA). Kumie Saegusa (Nishiki, Yokohama, Japan) took the honors as the Top Overall Lady Tagging Angler. Tyler Sudbrink (Greensboro, NC, USA), a multi-year winner in his last year of youth category eligibility, won the Top Overall Youth Tagging Angler and repeating as Top Overall Tagging Captain was Fin Gaddy (Manteo, N.C., USA).

 

In the release division, taking the honors as both Top Overall Release Angler and Top Overall Release Lady Angler was Tiffany Sisolak (Kitty Hawk, NC, USA). Jacob Pearcy (Tuscon, Arizona, USA) won the Top Overall Release Youth Angler and Brad Philipps (Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala) repeated his title as the Top Overall Release Captain.

 

The 2013 competition began Nov.1, 2012 and will wrap up on Oct. 31, 2013. TBF members from more than 70 countries are invited to participate and ‘Tag Data Reports’ and ‘Release Notifications’ can be submitted to TBF using either the traditional hard copies or reported online at www.billfishtag.org. Separate categories currently exist for each the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans with additional categories being considered for the 2014 competition.

 

To be eligible to receive an award active TBF members must have tagged and/or released five or more of a species to qualify. In addition, TBF’s Youth Program was created in 2001 and recognizes the conservation ethics and achievements of young anglers. It includes a three fish minimum in three separate age groupings for both tag and release categories.

 

The Billfish Foundation’s 2012 Tag & Release Award Winners

 

Top Tagging Anglers – Atlantic Ocean

Mike Brauser – Lighthouse Point, FL USA – Blue Marlin

Robert DeYoung – Lyndhurst, NJ USA – Sailfish

Richard Gudoian – Key Largo, FL USA – Swordfish

Sandra MacMillan* – Fort Lauderdale, FL USA – White Marlin

Peter Cherasia* – Rumson, NJ USA – White Marlin

 

Top Tagging Captains – Atlantic Ocean

Zak Conde – San Vicente, Cape Verde – Blue Marlin

Fin Gaddy – Manteo, NC USA – Sailfish

Sean O’Connor – Key Largo, FL USA – Swordfish

Fin Gaddy – Manteo, NC USA – White Marlin

 

Top Tagging Anglers – Pacific Ocean

David Richardson – Bangalow, NSW Australia –Black Marlin

Tsumura Yasuhisa* – Sumiyoshi, Osaka Japan – Blue Marlin

Kumie Saegusa* – Nishiku, Yokohama Japan – Blue Marlin

Juan Cruz Anon – Miami, FL USA – Sailfish

John Duvall – Kemah, TX USA – Striped Marlin

 

Top Tagging Captains – Pacific Ocean

Tim Richardson – Bangalow, NSW AU – Black Marlin

Yanagi Takaharu – Hyogo, Japan – Blue Marlin

Chris Sheeder – Miami, FL USA – Sailfish

Chuck Wigzell – Kailua-Kona, HI USA – Spearfish

Sean Holden – Newport Beach, CA USA – Striped Marlin

 

Top Tagging Captains – Indian Ocean

Bernard Vale – Coral Bay, Australia – Black Marlin

Ross Newton – Broome, Australia – Blue Marlin

Ross Newton – Broome, Australia – Sailfish

Pat Hemphill – Ukunda, Kenya – Striped Marlin

 

Top Youth Tagging Winners

Lillian Way – Houston, TX USA – Age 11-12

Shawn MacMullin – Key Largo, FL USA – Age 11-12 – Runner Up

Tyler Sudbrink – Greensboro, NC USA – Age 16-17

 

Overall Tagging Winners

Fin Gaddy – Manteo, NC USA – Overall Captain

Juan Cruz Anon – Miami, FL USA – Overall Angler

Kumie Saegusa – Nishiku, Yokohama Japan – Top Lady Angler

Tyler Sudbrink – Greensboro, NC USA – Top Youth Angler

 

Top Release Anglers – Atlantic Ocean

William Thomasson – Molino, FL USA – Blue Marlin

Gray Ingram – Jupiter, FL USA – Sailfish

Scott Cooper – Mobile, AL USA – Swordfish

Gray Ingram – Jupiter, FL USA – White Marlin

 

Top Release Captains – Atlantic Ocean

Marty Bates – San Vicente, Cape Verde – Blue Marlin

Fin Gaddy – Manteo, NC USA – Sailfish

Russel Craft – Mobile, AL USA – Swordfish

Fin Gaddy – Manteo, NC USA – White Marlin

 

Top Release Anglers – Pacific Ocean

Barry Alty – Gold Coast, QLD Australia – Black Marlin

Barry Alty – Gold Coast, QLD Australia – Blue Marlin

Tiffany Sisolak – Kitty Hawk, NC USA – Sailfish

John Rogers – Glendale, AZ USA – Striped Marlin

John Gregory – Keri Keri, New Zealand – Swordfish

 

Top Release Captains – Pacific Ocean

Chris Van Leeuwen* – Iztapa, Guatemala – Blue Marlin
Brett Alty* – Gold Coast, QL Australia – Blue Marlin

Brett Alty – Gold Coast, QL Australia – Black Marlin

Brad Philipps – Iztapa, Guatemala – Sailfish

Jose Nunez – Chino Hills, CA USA – Striped Marlin

John Gregory – Keri Keri, New Zealand – Swordfish

 

Top Release Anglers – Indian Ocean

Anders Jonsson – Ystad, Sweden – Sailfish

 

Top Release Anglers – Indian Ocean

Simon Hemphill – Ukunda, Kenya – Sailfish

 

Top Youth Release Winners

Gregory Benn – Great Falls, VA USA – Age 13-15

Wesley Davis – Malibu, CA USA – Age 13-15 – Runner Up

Jacob Pearcy – Tucson, AZ USA – Age 16-17

Tyler Sudbrink – Greensboro, NC USA – Age 16-17 – Runner Up

 

Overall Release Winners

Brad Philipps – Iztapa, Guatemala – Overall Captain

Tiffany Sisolak – Kitty Hawk, NC USA- Overall Angler

Tiffany Sisolak – Kitty Hawk, NC USA- Overall Lady Angler

Jacob Pearcy – Tucson, AZ USA – Top Youth Angler

 

* Indicates a tie occurred

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On January 30, 2013 the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released the 90-day finding on the two petitions received from Mr. James Chambers and the Center For Biological Diversity (CBD) to list white marlin (Kajikia albidus) as an endangered or threatened species. NMFS concluded “these petitions do not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating the petition action may be warranted.”

 

Previously petitioned by the same parties in 2001, NMFS determined that white marlin did not warrant listing according to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The possibility of white marlin listed as threatened or endangered also occurred in 2006 following the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) stock assessment for white marlin. As a result of a settlement agreement between NMFS, the CBD, and the Turtle Island Restoration Network, NMFS conducted the Atlantic White Marlin Status Review (AWMSR) and determined that the white marlin was neither threatened nor endangered.

 

The 2012 petition by the two parties, isolated the ‘North Atlantic sub-population of white marlin’, but NMFS declined their claims of sub-populations and determined that “the best available information indicates white marlin are a single species through its range without separation into populations.” NMFS evaluated the information presented in the petitions in addition to best available information in their files to determine whether there is a concern for impacts and threats that may be posing risk of extinction for white marlin. The petition stated three of the five possible factors of section 4(a)(1) of the ESA by looking at whether there was “(A) present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat and range; (B) overutilization for commercial and recreational purposes; and (D) inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms.  NMFS determined that there was not substantial information warranting a listing under ESA to any of these three claims.

 

This is an important issue for both the recreational and commercial fishing industries because of the negative impacts potentially resulting from a listing of either endangered or threatened for white marlin under the Endangered Species Act.

 

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