The Billfish Foundation’s first ever Virtual Gala ended Friday, October 30th, after weeks of build-up and excitement! Beginning October 16th, TBF supporters joined in to support billfish conservation online with our raffle and costume contest. On October 23rd, the real fun began with the opening of our online auction! With items varying from fishing trips to electronics to jewelry and more, there was truly something for everyone. Participants bid all week long to score amazing deals on incredible prizes, all for the great cause of billfish conservation!

The excitement came to a head on Friday, October 30th at 6 pm EST on Facebook Live. In it, we honored this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winners, including; Winthrop P Rockefeller Lifetime Achievement Award winner Roy Merritt of Merritt’s Boat and Engine Works, John Rybovich Lifetime Achievement Award winner Captain Chris Sheeder, and Paxson H. Offield Lifetime Science Achievement Award winner Joe Yurt. We announced the winner of our costume contest, Donald Miller, with his fantastic rendition of the Tiger King. We also announced the winner of our raffle, Scott Yates, who won a YETI Panga 100, TBF Signature jacket, and Sailfish membership.

The final surge of bidders before the end of the auction had everyone at the edge of their seat, with nearly every item taken home! We are so proud of the success of this event, due to our sponsors and supporters. Though we missed seeing your faces, it was so fun connecting online with our supporters from all over the world. We can’t wait to do it all again in 2021, hopefully in person!