The Billfish Foundation

Satellite tags and a community coming together. There’s a place for you in the SoFlo Sailfish Initiative. As The Billfish Foundation prepares for the next chapter of the SoFlo Sailfish Initiative at the very beginning of 2027, we’re inviting that same energy into an effort everyone can help build. We’re looking for donors, sponsors, partners, restaurants, venues and ocean enthusiasts ready to help advance sailfish research.

For TBF’s 40th Anniversary Gala, the celebration is starting early! For the first time ever, TBF is opening its silent auction one week before the event, giving guests an early opportunity to browse online and bid on an exceptional lineup of trips, experiences, gear, and unique items. Traditionally, auction items are revealed on gala night, but this milestone year called for something special.

A new executive order is bringing saltwater recreational fishing into greater focus at the federal level, with an emphasis on improving fisheries data, strengthening state and federal coordination, and better recognizing the role recreational anglers play in our nation’s fisheries.

The Billfish Foundation (TBF) announces that Peter Chaibongsai, Director of Conservation Programs, will assume the responsibilities of President effective January 1, 2027, succeeding long-time President Ellen Peel. Chaibongsai has worked at TBF for the past 20 years and has played a leading role in managing the Foundation’s Tag & Release Program, scientific research, fisheries advocacy, education initiatives, and the expansion of satellite tagging through its Groundswell Projects.

This summer, The Billfish Foundation attended two sportfishing premier events: the Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament in Manteo, North Carolina and The MidAtlantic, held in Cape May, New Jersey, and Ocean City, Maryland. Both tournaments are valued supporters of TBF. They also create important opportunities to connect anglers, tournament organizers, and marine scientists in support of billfish research and conservation.

The Billfish Foundation is pleased to welcome Land Johnson to the team! Land will help create TBF’s upcoming 2024–2025 Conservation Record, bringing his academic background in geosciences and climate change to the project. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Land is currently in his final semester at Florida Atlantic University, where he is studying geosciences with a concentration in climate change while also pursuing an advanced certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Season Three of The Skillie Project marked an important milestone: our teams successfully deployed two more satellite tags off Nantucket.

The Billfish Foundation is proud to celebrate Steve Goione as TBF’s 2026 Artist of the Year, recognizing an artist whose career has been deeply connected to the offshore fishing community and the people, boats, and billfish that define it. For more than three decades, Goione has captured the sportfishing lifestyle through his distinctive marine artwork.

Every season, anglers competing in the Quest for the Crest Sailfish Series battle for championship titles, impressive purses, and the coveted Burgundy Jacket. Thanks to our partnership with Fish Bluewater, one winning team also earns something far more lasting: the opportunity to leave a legacy for billfish conservation.

The Billfish Foundation’s (TBF) expanding Groundswell Projects satellite tagging program continues to reveal new insights into the movements of some of the ocean’s most iconic gamefish. Recent tag returns from blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, and striped marlin are helping researchers better understand migration routes, habitat use, and the connectivity of billfish populations across the Atlantic and Pacific.