The Billfish Foundation’s Tag & Release Program, established in 1990, is one of the largest billfish databases in the world, with over 280,000 fish released, due to the assistance of captains, anglers, and mates worldwide. Without their help, much of what we know today about billfish, including age, growth, movements, distribution and stock structure would not be determined. Click here to learn more about the Tag & Release Program.

You can participate in TBF’s Annual Tag & Release Competition by becoming a member of TBF and promptly turning in your Tag Data Report cards or entering them online at www.tagbillfish.org. This worldwide competition runs from November 1stthrough October 31st of the following year.

Official Rules

COMPETITION DATES: November 1 – October 31 of the following year.

DEADLINE: All Tagging Data Report and Release Notification Cards must be received by TBF no later than November 15th, whether via mail or online at www.tagbillfish.org.

ELIGIBILITY: Anglers, captains and mates MUST be a current TBF member to receive an award based on their submitted Tagging Data Report and Release Notification Cards. Regardless of membership, all data from every card is valuable for billfish research. You can check your membership status or join TBF by calling (954) 938-0150 or on our website.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Tag cards should be submitted to TBF as soon as possible or entered online at www.tagbillfish.org after tagging or releasing a fish. If you wait until the end of the competition year to send your cards, you run the risk of not having your cards reach TBF by the deadline. TBF also reserves the right to disqualify any participant if circumstances indicate there is reason to question reports.

Categories

TAGGING – Captains and Anglers Awards are presented to those who tag the most billfish of each species within each ocean category after having met the 5 fish minimum.

RELEASE – Captains and Anglers Awards are presented to those who release, without tagging, the most billfish of each species within each ocean category after having met the 5 fish minimum.

Please note: For the categories listed, fish that are tagged and released are NOT counted in the Release Category. These fish are only counted in the Tagging Category.

Black MarlinBlue MarlinSailfishSpearfishSwordfishWhite MarlinStriped Marlin
Atlantic
Pacific
Indian

Additional Awards

Youth

Awards are presented to youth anglers who tag and/or release the most billfish of any species within each age category after having met the minimum of 3 fish. Categories include: ages 8 & younger, 9-10, 11-12, 13-15 and 16-17.

To enter the competition all youth anglers MUST write in their date of birth next to their name or in the space provided on the physical tag card or, if reporting via tagbillfish.org, when creating their user profile. Youth anglers must be active TBF members to win.

Female

Awards are presented to the female anglers who tag and/or release the most billfish of any species, after having met the minimum of 5 fish.

Mates

TBF recognizes the valuable contribution of mates in both the release and tagging of billfish. A captain must nominate a mate for an award. Mate awards are distributed during TBF’s annual awards ceremony.

Annual Tag & Release Competition Ceremony

Every year in February, concurrently held during the Miami Boat Show, The Billfish Foundation is proud to recognize all the winners for the past year’s Tag and Release Competition.

Special thanks to all of our Tag & Release Program Sponsors – Casa Vieja Lodge, Costa Sunglasses, Garmin Marine, King Sailfish Mounts, IGFTO, and YETI.

ATTENTION ALL ANGLERS, MATES, AND CAPTAINS: Please send TBF any photos you have of your billfish in the water or jumping. Great tagging photos are always appreciated and could be spotlighted in one of TBF’s publications or online via our social media. Send all photos and stories to tbf@billfish.org. Remember the success of this program rests in the hands of all of us. We appreciate your support.