The Billfish Foundation is pleased to honor winning anglers around the world who participate in our annual tag and release competition.  For the past two years, Kumie Saegusa has made the 7500 mile trip from her home in Yokohama Japan to TBF’s Tag and Release Awards Ceremony in Miami Beach to claim the title of tagging female for blue marlin in the Pacific Ocean.

Belying her small stature, Kumie is a tough angler, braving large swells and high winds in pursuit of blue marlin!  She participates in many tournaments in Japan and is also a member of the Japanese Game Fish Association.

On her most recent trip this past February, Kumie and her delegation met with TBF President Ellen Peel and Science and Policy Director Peter Chaibongsai to learn more about how TBF’s educational programs could be initiated in Japan and to get the ball rolling on having Billfish Foundation publications translated into Japanese and distributed at marinas and tournaments throughout Japan.

The Billfish Foundation is proud to salute Kumie Saegusa!

28^TH ANNUAL LADIES FISH-OFF

POMPANO BEACH, FL – (MARCH 5, 2013) –The Ladies Annual Fish-Off was established 27 years ago and has flourished ever since. This year’s tournament will be held May 30th-June 2 of 2013. The top 10 boats and top three lady anglers receive cash and prizes along with the top three largest fish in the five non-billfish categories: blackfin tuna, cobia, dolphin, kingfish and wahoo. Top Family, Top Junior, Top Captain and Top Pee-Wee prizes will also be awarded.

 Last year the Ladies Annual Fish-Off donated $30,000 to The Billfish Foundation and The Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida as well as $1500 to the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center’s Endowed Scholarship Fund. The Ladies Annual Fish-Off is not only a chance to fish with your fellow women anglers; it is also an opportunity to raise money for some exceptional charities. Over the past 27 years the Ladies Fish-Off has raised over $430,000 for our charities.

The kickoff party will be held Thursday May 30, 2013 at Galuppi’s in Pompano Beach from 6-10pm. We will have a silent auction, registration and the Captain’s meeting.

The tournament will be held on Saturday June 1, 2013. Boats can check out of Port Everglades or Hillsboro Inlet. The Weigh-In will be held at Alsdorf Park off 14th St Causeway in Pompano Beach. Our Awards Brunch will be held at Bonefish Mac’s in Lighthouse Point on Sunday June 2, 2013.

For more information about the tournament or becoming a sponsor, please visit the website at www.ladiesfishoff.com or email the Ladies Fish-Off at info@ladiesfishoff.com.

Media Contact:

Stephanie Despreaux, President  

Since 2010, South Florida recreational fishing tournaments have hosted the NSU Oceanographic Center Fisheries Research Laboratory, which conducts research on fish biology and applied fisheries science to address pressing issues in marine fisheries management.  Presently, there is a shortage of available data concerning fishes of the coastal pelagic ecosystem.  The selected fish species includes king mackerel, wahoo, blackfin tuna, skipjack tuna, little tunny, and dolphinfish.  These fish are commonly targeted by recreational anglers, and included in the “fun fish” category in big game pelagic fishing tournaments.

At the tournaments, the Fisheries Lab has a sampling booth is setup adjacent to the weigh station where the fish measurements and biological are collected.  Once the anglers have weighed-in the fish, they drop the fish off at the sampling station for a few minutes while the team of researcher’s record data and collect the samples.  The biological samples collected include:  the stomach, gonads, muscle tissue, and liver tissue.  The stomach and muscle tissue is collected to evaluate the trophic (foodweb) dynamics of the fish via stomach content analysis and stable isotope analysis.  The fish are kept on ice during the entire process to ensure the quality of meat for the anglers, and once the data and samples have been collected, the fish is returned to the anglers.  All the samples collected at the tournaments are taken back to the research lab where the analysis is performed.  The data collected from the fish is extremely valuable and will greatly improve what is currently known about the South Florida coastal pelagic ecosystem.

News Letter from RMH

Influenced by a lifetime of growing up along the South Florida Shores, Emily Pinnell is an up and coming artist from Lighthouse Point, Florida. Emily attended Pompano Beach High School and studied Advanced Placement Art for two years and was selected to the National Art Honor Society. Her artwork was admired as it decorated the halls, offices and art cases on campus. Emily’s artwork was accepted and displayed at the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art for the Broward County Superintendent’s Advanced Placement Art Exhibition in 2009 and 2010. She currently attends the University of North Florida and has recently been accepted into the Limited Access Graphic Design and Digital Media Program at UNF.

Her artwork is a combination of the serious and whimsical personalities of the artist. While she enjoys sketching beautiful pencil and charcoal portraits of subjects, her true passion is using various mediums to depict marine life and fish intended to portray human qualities and personalities. Emily’s ability allows her to capture game fish and a variety of other marine scenes with complete accuracy. However, through the use of human expression, colors and by morphing anatomies of fish and other marine life, she creates and captures a new whimsical nature to everyday subjects.

Last year Emily contributed an original piece of artwork for the silent auction to benefit the Ladies Fish Off Charities, and has recently completed a design that will be featured in the upcoming Custom Shootout Tournament in Abaco Bahamas this May. She is back at it again as this years Ladies Fish-Off featured artist supporting her hometown community and of course the Ladies.

The ladies who fish the tournament have put some trophy fish on the dock in recent tournaments including a 54 pound Kingfish, 57.7 pound Dolphin and a 77.2 pound Wahoo. The top ten boats and top three lady anglers receive cash and prizes along with the top three largest fish in the five non-billfish categories: blackfin tuna, cobia, dolphin, kingfish and wahoo. Top family, top junior, top captain and top pee-wee prizes will also be awarded. Last year the Ladies Annual Fish-Off donated $30,000 to our charities. Our goal for 2013 is to be able to raise $40,000 for our beneficiaries. As the name implies, only lady anglers may enter, but men can join the fun as captain and crew.

The Ladies Annual Fish-Off is not only a chance to fish with your fellow women it is also an opportunity to raise money for some exceptional organizations. Over the past twenty-seven years the event has raised more than $430,000.00 for our charities. This year money raised during the event will benefit The Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida, and The Billfish Foundation. The Ladies Annual Fish-Off will also be donating $1,500 to the Nova Southeastern University Student Scholarship Fund.

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