Panhandle Billfish Will Live To Fight Another Day
The FSAB billfish seminar on July 18 ran on a wave of breaking news regarding the Bay Point Invitational Billfish Tournament which ran the weekend before the seminar. At the close of the tournament officials announced that next year, the tournament will be totally catch and release. Scott Burt, Director of the tournament, was a guest speaker at the FSAB seminar and gave attendees the story behind the decision.
In a moving recollection of the evening after the record breaking blue marlin catch at the 2001 Tournament, Mr. Burt told of walking out on the dock late at night after the crowds had left and "looking at the magnificent animal that lay there." At that moment, he realized that it was time to move away from killing these fish and begin the transition to catch and release.
The tournament ran catch and release categories this year. In these divisions, points are awarded by judges who view videos taken by the crews. The reaction of the fans to a video showing the catch and release action aboard one of the boats convinced Mr. Burt that the these showings will readily replace the traditional weigh in that has drawn fans to the tournament over past years.
Within a few more years, Mr. Burt expects to be able to show the action aboard the fishing boats live via remote telecasts.
In many people's eyes, this is what the sport celebrated at the tournament is all about: the art and skill of 
catching big fish, not weighing them in.
Seminar attendees were also treated to a chance to get up close to the sport. Capt. Tom Putnam of Half Hitch Tackle showed where the big fish were in nearby coastal waters at this time of year, and described what it takes to find them, hook into them and land them.
The Captain had a full rig of tackle, harness and fighting chair on hand. After describing how all the equipment was used, members of the audience were invited to get strapped into the chair and fight off a "fish."
Anna Avrigian, National Marine Fisheries Service, gave a detailed presentation on the Recreational Billfish Survey, which has noted the decline in billfish populations. She described the international migrations these fish take annually and noted the difficulties in regulating billfish catch in international waters.
She also noted the irregularity of setting billfish catch on the basis of size. Female billfish are substantially larger that males at maturity. The effect is that billfish who meet size limits now are virtually all females, which results in reduced spawning.
Technology is providing ways to improve the scientific knowledge base on billfish, Ms. Avrigian noted, and new tools are becoming available on a continuing basis. With a deeper understanding of their life cycle, more effective ways of ensuring their livelihood are being developed.