Every year, The Billfish Foundation (TBF) recognizes the captains, mates and anglers (including youth and ladies) who tag and release the most billfish in each of the world’s oceans. The competition is categorized by billfish species, ocean, and whether the fish were tagged or released untagged. Award winners are recognized at TBF’s Annual Tag & Release Awards Ceremony held during the Miami International Boat Show presented by the TBF Tag and Release Sponsors: Bisbee’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fund, Casa Vieja Lodge, Costa Sunglasses, Pelagic, and SIMRAD.
The Billfish Foundation’s Annual Tag and Release Ceremony will be held Friday, February 13, 2015, in the Treetop Ballroom at Jungle Island. The evening will kick off at 6:30 PM with cocktails followed by the award presentation and dinner. Proceeds benefit TBF’s tag and release program.Get your tickets for the 2015 Tag & Release Award Ceremony here.
Honoring our Tag & Release sponsors (in order from left to right) Casa Vieja Lodge, Bisbee’s Fish & Wildlife Foundation, PELAGIC, and Costa.
Please remember the deadline for TBF to receive your tag and release data is November 15th! You can either submit them via snail mail or online via www.tagbillfish.org.
The standings below reflect Tag and Release Cards entered into the TBF Database as of 11/1/2014.
Overall Release Captain
1 Pete Rae
2 Josh Temple
3 Chris Van Leeuwen
4 Manuel Diaz
5 Dean Panos
Overall Tagging Captain
1 Josh Temple
2 Chris Sheeder
3 Ronnie Fields
4 Eddy Lawler
5 Francisco Alvarenga
Overall Release Angler
1 Pat McCotter
2 Keith Brandner
3 Bill Easum
4 John Duvall
5 Tiffany Sisolak
Overall Tagging Angler
1 Keith Brandner
2 Gray Ingram
3 Darryl Schroeder
4 Sandra MacMillan
5 Alejandro Gonzalez
Overall Release Lady Angler
1 Tiffany Sisolak
2 Sandra MacMillan
3 Joan Verrnon
4 Sally Kurz
5 Martha Macnab
Overall Tagging Lady Angler
1 Sandra MacMillan
2 Jo-Ann Riley
3 Kumie Saegusa
4 Martha Macnab
5 Sandra Hiler
Overall Release Youth Angler
1 Bo Ingram
2 Shawn MacMullin
3 Jonathan Gaskill
4 Brown Gaddy
5 Charles Gaddy
Overall Tagging Youth Angler
1 Shawn MacMullin
2 Bo Ingram
3 Nick Brackman
4 Aidan Burke
5 Josh Golden
Top Tagging Angler- Atlantic Ocean
Blue Marlin
1 Gray Ingram
2 Bo Ingram
3 Sandra MacMillan
4 Chris Haley
5 Mario Frering
Sailfish
1 Kasey Swan
2 Sandra MacMillan
3 Andy Southwell
4 Kerry Dyer
5 Dawn Samuels
Swordfish
1 Rick Gudoian
White Marlin
1 Laurent Sahyoun
2 Sandra MacMillan
3 Jeff Citron
4 Jefferey Stolarz
5 James Allement
Top Release Angler- Atlantic Ocean
Blue Marlin
1 Gray Ingram
2 Sandra MacMillan
3 Bo Ingram
4 James Weir
5 James Turner
Sailfish
1 Gray Ingram
2 Chris Kubik
3 Andy Southwell
4 Rob DeYoung
5 Wesley Davis
White Marlin
1 Sandra MacMillan
2 Tommy Montague
3 Willo Rubi
4 Will Stark
5 James Turner
Top Tagging Captain- Atlantic Ocean
Blue Marlin
1 Ronnie Fields
2 Chris Hood
3 Olaf Grimkowski
4 Antonio Amaral
5 Ben Horning
Sailfish
1 Fin Gaddy
2 Bouncer Smith
3 Rom Whitaker
4 Danny Ford
5 Gary Clifford
Swordfish
1 Mark Pagano
2 Sean O’Connor
3 Bouncer Smith
White Marlin
1 Christian Benazeth
2 Gary Richardson
3 Jerry Lanzerotti
4 Scott Leon
5 Tim Richardson
Top Release Captain- Atlantic Ocean
Blue Marlin
1 Ronnie Fields
2 Scott Leon
3 Matt Mauldwin
4 Tim Richardson
5 Bertrand Bouchard
Sailfish
1 Dean Panos
2 Fin Gaddy
3 Rom Whitaker
4 George Wells
5 Dennis Endee
White Marlin
1 Scott Leon
2 Dennis Endee
3 Tim Richardson
4 Fin Gaddy
5 Mickey Foster
Top Tagging Angler- Pacific Ocean
Black Marlin
1 Brady Wild
Blue Marlin
1 Keith Brandner
2 James Brown
3 Tony Carpenter
4 Ron Kawaja
5. Greg Brandner
Sailfish
1 Darryl Schroeder
2 Alejandro Gonzalez
3 Melanie Gregory
4 Scott Kozak
5 Shawn MacMullin
Striped Marlin
1 Martha Macnab
2 Kumie Saegusa
3 Blake Quinn
4 John “Jack” Duvall
5 Nick Brackmann
Top Release Angler- Pacific Ocean
Black Marlin
1 Barry Alty
2 Bill Pullman
Blue Marlin
1 Pat McCotter
2 Keith Brandner
3 James Brown
4 Tony Carpenter
5 Joan Vernon
Sailfish
1 Bill Easum
2 John Duvall
3 Tiffany Sisolak
4 Gray Ingram
5 Scott Kozak
Striped Marlin
1 T John “Jack” Duvalls
2 Chris Bays
3 Pat McCotter
4 Steve Slawkin
Top Tagging Captain- Pacific Ocean
Black Marlin
1 Tim Richardson
Blue Marlin
1 Josh Temple
2 Chuck Wigzell
3 Sean Holden
4 Skeet Warren
5 Chip Van Mols
Sailfish
1 Chris Sheeder
2 Francisco Alvarenga
3 David Salazar
4 Nicho Alvarenga
5 Richard Chellemi
Spearfish
1 Chuck Wigzell
Striped Marlin
1 Bernabe Ruiz
2 Jaime Gonzalez
3 Sean Holden
4 Tony Araiza
5 Carl Schloederer
Top Release Captain- Pacific Ocean
Black Marlin
1 Brett Alty
2 Tim Richardson
3 Pete Rae
Blue Marlin
1 Pete Rae
2 Josh Temple
3 Chris Bays
3 BC Angel
4 Bubba Carter
Sailfish
1 Chris Van Leeuwen
2 Manuel Diaz
3 Brad Phillips
4 Mike Day
5 Pete Rae
Striped Marlin
1 Chris Bays
2 Eduardo Cesena Burgoin
3 Pablo Cesena
4 Carlos Ruiz
5 Rafeal (Cha Cha) Sanchez
Top Tagging Angler – Indian Ocean
Black Marlin
1 Scott MacGowan
2 Jo-Ann Riley
3 Chee Meng Yap
4 Peter Nagle
5 Luke Groen
Sailfish
1 Jo-Ann Riley
2 Scott MacGowan
3 Henry Riggs-Miller
4 Steve Palumbo
5 Geoff Ellens
Top Release Angler – Indian Ocean
Black Marlin
1 Murray Teasdace
Sailfish
1 Henry Riggs-Miller
Top Tagging Captain- Indian Ocean
Black Marlin
1 Eddy Lawler
2 Bernard Vale
3 Scott MacGowan
4 Ross Newton
5 Jo-Ann Riley
Blue Marlin
1 Eddy Lawler
2 Ross Newton
3 Bernard Vale
Sailfish
1 Jourdain Ellens
2 Rolly Pierre
3 Scott MacGowan
4 Eddy Lawler
5 Ross Newton
Striped Marlin
1 Eddy Lawler
2 Bryan Matiba
Top Release Captain – Indian Ocean
Black Marlin
1 Eddy Lawler
2 Ross Newton
Blue Marlin
1 Ross Newton
Sailfish
1 Rolly Pierre
Youth Tag Divisions
8 and under
1 Brown Gaddy
2 Charles Gaddy
3 Caden Alexander
9-10
1 Aidan Burke
11-12
1 Kaleb Richardson
2 Jonathan Gaskill
13 – 15
1 Shawn MacMullin
2 Bo Ingram
3 Patrick Haley
4 Greer Beasley
16 – 17
1 Nick Brackmann
Youth Release Divisions
8 and under
1 Charles Gaddy
2 Brown Gaddy
13 – 15
1 Bo Ingram
2 Shawn MacMullin