The Billfish

Foundation works worldwide to advance the conservation of billfish and associated species to improve the health of oceans and economies. Considering the context of a planet with over seven billion human inhabitants, conservation strategies must be forward-looking and adaptive. By accounting for the roles of billfish within the marine environment as well as in relation to their interactions with humanity, TBF’s conservation campaigns maintain the flexibility to adapt to emergent threats as well as those which have historically confronted resource managers. TBF employs a multi-tiered, proactive suite of initiatives involving research— both biological and socioeconomic–education, and advocacy projects. As billfish and other highly migratory species are not confined to the territorial waters of any one nation, these strategies must also take into account the differences in culture and law inherent to the international arena. Empowered by an internationally diverse constituent network, The Billfish Foundation is uniquely equipped to do just this.

Established in 1990, The Billfish Foundation’s Tag and Release Program is the largest private billfish tagging database in the world and the cornerstone of TBF’s conservation and advocacy efforts. With more than 220,000 tag and release reports, TBF receives over 15,000 tag and release records annually from across the globe and provides vital information for billfish conservation.

The success of TBF’s Tag and Release program is contributed to the dedicated anglers and captains around the globe that voluntarily tag, release, and report their billfish catches. The deployment of traditional tags and the data gathered from recaptured billfish provides valuable scientific data to further understand growth rates, migratory patterns, habitat utilization, and postrelease survival rates. Tag and release data also provides valuable information for stock assessments that are instrumental in a time when industrial longlines represent the largest source of marlin mortality. This valuable data, much of it impossible to measure without the use of traditional tagging, provides the groundwork for conservation minded policy, scientific advancement, and gives insight into the demographics and socio-economic benefits generated from billfishing.

As tagging provides The Billfish Foundation with substance for its conservation efforts, TBF recognizes those anglers and captains that tag and release the most billfish each year at an awards ceremony at the Miami International Boat Show. The annual International Tag & Release Competition recognizes members who tag and release the most billfish by species in each of the world’s oceans. TBF award winners are the ‘who’s who of the billfishing world’ and are those that do not just catch and release a great number of fish, but embody and share a common conservation ethic. As captains and anglers on the water represent the first line in billfish conservation, recognition of their efforts provides a means to illustrate the direct link between catch and release fishing and marine conservation. To recognize the efforts of all of its members, TBF also provides release certificates for those that report billfish tags and releases.

Proper Tagging Techniques

AFTER THE FISH IS LEADERED: Bring the billfish alongside the boat. Idle the boat forward and maintain this position to allow the billfish to calm down and allow for easier tagging. Never attempt to tag a jumping or thrashing fish. This can be not only dangerous for the health of the billfish but for you too!

NEVER remove the fish from the water. This can result in fatal damage to the fish for two reasons. Excess rubbing and drying can result in the loss of the protective slime coat found on the surface of the fish. Without this protective covering, the fish becomes susceptible to bacterial infections and parasites. Additionally, the skeleton of a billfish is designed for the buoyant conditions of the ocean. Removing the fish from the water, even onto the gunnel, causes the skeleton to come under the full strain of gravity, which can damage the skeleton and internal organs.

It is vitally important that the tag be placed in the proper area: in the dorsal muscle well behind the head and gill plates, above the lateral line and away from all vital organs (see Figure 1). It is not necessary to use a great deal of force to insert the tag. A firm, well-aimed stroke is best. Place the applicator against the fish’s flank and push, inserting the tag until the stopper assembly is pressed against the fish. Improper tag placement or tagging too hard can result in serious injury or death to the fish. Speed tagging often results in injury.

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