Summary

In this episode, Katie sits down with Peter Chaibongsai and TJ Morrell from the Billfish Foundation. They discuss the organization's mission and the importance of research, advocacy, and education in preserving offshore fish populations and supporting the communities that depend on them. They highlight the various programs and resources available to the community, such as membership, newsletters, and youth programs. Peter and TJ also explain their role in representing the recreational fishing community in regulatory matters and their efforts to connect scientists and fishermen to gather valuable data. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the foundation's commitment to preserving the marine environment and passing on the love of fishing to future generations. The conversation covers the technical difficulties experienced during the recording, the importance of The Billfish Foundation's (TBF) regulatory advocacy, the tagging and release program, data collection and socioeconomic information, the importance of recreational fishing, online reporting and incentive programs, the tagging program competition, and the recognition of crew and lifetime achievement awards. The conversation covers the recognition of outstanding individuals in the fishing community, the upcoming awards and gala, membership services and subscriptions, engaging the youth through magazines, the importance of tagging data, international tagging operations, streamlining commercial data collection, and supporting the Billfish Foundation.

 Takeaways

• The Billfish Foundation focuses on research, advocacy, and education to preserve offshore fish populations and support the communities that depend on them.

Membership signup : https://billfish.org/become-a-member/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwzIK1BhAuEiwAHQmU3ikMzYodcBAKi7VgwCd7r7qFaIDCq9UPYOxdKGmvaABsbnNCtSpgshoCngAQAvD_BwE

Tag and Release Competition: https://billfish.org/competition/

Tag and Release Kits : https://shop.billfish.org/collections/tbf-tagging-equipment/products/taggingkits

Newsletter Signup : https://billfish.org/newsletter/

TBF Merch: https://shop.billfish.org/

Gala tickets: https://event.auctria.com/32fef710-de8c-42f3-9619-69c87b19b44a/09480e501ee611eaa945bb9e2ddcf87f

Subscription for youth magazines

Billfish: https://billfish.org/magazines/#tab-id-1

Sailfish: https://billfish.org/magazines/#tab-id-2

Spearfish: https://billfish.org/magazines/#tab-id-3

Bluewater: https://billfish.org/magazines/#tab-id-4