U.K. angler among TBF’s world’s top billfish tag & release anglers and captains
The Billfish Foundation awards 46 in 22nd year of scientific research program

MIAMI, Fla., USA — Every time they fish on three oceans, anglers and captains – including a Scottish angler — are helping scientific research. They are among 46 winners from around the world to receive The Billfish Foundation’s 2011 Tag & Release Awards.
Since 1990 they’ve become the heart-and-soul of TBF’s eminent conservation program committed to tag and release of billfish from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, while supplying valuable data critical to learning the pelagic species migratory habits.
Glasgow, U.K.’s Tim Twiddy Glasgow, was awarded TBF’s Top Release angler catch fishing the Atlantic Ocean for blue marlin tying with Andy Fanter of Great Bend Kansas, USA.
The TBF Annual Tag and Release Awards, presented during the Miami International Boat Show each February, is the world’s premier big game fishing competition, with thousands of TBF member anglers and captains from 70 countries invited to compete. The 2011 competition ran from Nov. 1, 2010 to Oct. 31, 2011 with “tagging data reports” and “release notification cards” generated from the ocean’s temperate waters where a majority of the world’s billfish inhabit. To qualify active TBF members must have tagged and/or released five or more of a species. TBF’s Youth Program recognizing the conservation ethics and achievements of young anglers has a minimum of three billfish in three age groups. 
“Today, instead of catch-and-kill, more anglers are tagging more fish than ever before,” said TBF Science and Policy Director Peter Chaibongsai. “We had a total of 5399 release records and 4410 tag records for the competition, an increase over last year.   
“In the 22 years of TBF’s program over 168,000 billfish have been tagged and of those more than 2,800 have been recaptured and most re-released. TBF still has the highest recapture rates for a traditional tagging program thanks in big part to the efforts from the sportfishing community. And the release category which began nine years ago, has logged in over 66,000 billfish releases reported to TBF.”
On its website (http://Billfish.org), TBF displays numerous examples of tracks illustrating billfish traveling thousands of miles giving vital data on their biology and movement patterns to effectively advocate for sound science-based billfish management and policy.
“And with the recent introduction of TROD our new fast, free and easy Tag & Release Online Database, TBF can accurately and quickly get all the vital information for our work plus provide our scientists with the hard evidence to support that sportsfishing is a huge economic piece in the US economy and that conservation pays.”            
Recently celebrating its 25th anniversary TBF works worldwide to advance the conservation of billfish and associated species and to improve the health of oceans and dependent economies. Chaibongsai can be reached at 800-438-8247 ex 107 at tag@billfish.org. or at Peter_Chaibongsai@billfish.org.
 
(photo caption) The Billfish Foundation winners show off their trophies at the 22nd annual TBF Tag & Release Awards night in Miami, Fla. USA