A bright new chapter for bluefin tuna has begun. NOAA Fisheries just issued a strong final amendment Aug. 29 for protecting these giants of the ocean. With the promulgation of implementing regulations, the new amendment will help stop western Atlantic bluefin—and approximately 80 other types of marine wildlife—from unnecessarily dying on surface longlines, fishing gear that is intended primarily for yellowfin tuna and swordfish, but indiscriminately kills other species. “NOAA Fisheries deserves great praise for significantly increasing protections for bluefin while allowing fishing for yellowfin tuna and swordfish to continue,” said Lee Crockett, director of U.S. ocean conservation for The Pew Charitable Trusts. “This historic action will help western Atlantic bluefin tuna rebuild to healthy levels.” Bluefin tuna command respect. They’re as fast as racehorses, bring fishermen to their knees, and grow to the size of a small car. These “superfish” make transoceanic migrations, can dive deeper than 4,000 feet, and live up to 40 years. But bluefin are no match for wasteful fishing methods. The population of western Atlantic bluefin tuna is just 36 percent of its already depleted 1970 level. This decline is caused in part by surface longlining. Please click HERE to read more on the Banner Day for Bluefin Tuna now on our website… Halliburton’s $1.1 Billion Spill Agreement Avoids Bigger Payouts Halliburton Co.’s agreement to pay $1.1 billion to settle most of the lawsuits over its role in the biggest U.S. offshore oil spill helps it avoid billions more in potential penalties down the road. The oilfield services company, accused of doing defective work on BP Plc’s Macondo well before it exploded in 2010, killing 11 men and dumping millions of barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, said today the agreement resolves “a substantial majority” of its liability in the disaster. Halliburton’s settlement comes as the federal judge overseeing oil-spill cases weighs fault for the accident, and averts the risk of a more costly judgment against the company in favor of some spill victims. The agreement removes much of the uncertainty that has plagued Halliburton for the past four years as investors waited to see how much the company might be hurt by payouts in the case. With its biggest piece of liability resolved, Halliburton can refocus its attention on developing new oilfield technology that will help it boost profits worldwide. “It’s actually a pretty decent settlement for them,” said Rob Desai, an analyst at Edward Jones in St. Louis, who rates the shares a hold and owns none. “This eliminates an overhang.” Please click HERE to read more about the Halliburton Spill Agreement on our website… BP’s Deepwater Horizon Drilling Rig burns in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico after its disastrous explosion in April 2010. (See Photo Above.)

Updated Catch Reports Section of ROFFS™ Website Congratulations to ROFFS™ client Nick Zerille fishing aboard the “Mango” with his nice 1st place Yellowfin Tuna in last weekend’s Hamptons Offshore Invitational. (See Photo Above.)

Be sure to visit the section titled “Catch Reports” located under the “Insights” tab on our ROFFS™ website that will feature current catch reports from areas such as the Northeastern U.S., North Carolina/Hatteras, South Carolina/Georgia, Florida, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and the Gulf of Mexico.   We continue to post weekly updates in this category so please check back often. Please click HERE to view last week’s catch reports…

ROFFS™ Recent Tournament Results – Congratulations to our recent tournament winners!

Ocean City Marlin Club Labor Day White Marlin Tournament (MD): 1^st Place Billfish Release Jon Duffie & Jeremy Duffie (Billfisher); 1^st Place Billfish Release Boats 34’ & Under Frank Goodhart (Brenda Lou).

Hamptons Offshore Invitational (NY): 1^st Place Yellowfin Tuna Day Category Nick Zerille (Mango); 2^nd Place Albacore Tuna Night Division Michael Valentino (Canyon Bound); 2^nd Place Bigeye tuna Night Category Michael Mone (Triple Play); 3^rd Place Bigeye Tuna Michael Tucci & Captain Mark Decabia (Rebel).

Mobile Big Game Fishing Club Labor Day Tournament (AL): 1st Place Catch & Release & 1st Place Top Large Boat Jon Hopkins (Gear Up); 1st Place Top Lady Angler & 1st Place Dolphin Thomas Turner, Captain Joey Birbeck, Sydney Turner & Stan Blackman (You Never Know); 1st Place Tuna Scott Ford, Captain Erik Anderson & Josh Bessette (DEDE V); 2nd Place Catch & Release Captain Newt Cagle (Dirty Business); 2nd Place Tuna & 3rd Place Wahoo Daniel Haeuser, Captain Jimmy Crochet & Rick Sinclair (Conundrum); 1st Place Wahoo Bobby Ricks (El Cazador); 2nd Place Blue Marlin Devin Potts & Steve Lindsey (Sea Mixer); 2nd Place Wahoo Lee Kennedy & Taylor Roach (Privateer); 2nd Place Dolphin Brian Stover (Knot Now); 3rd Place Blue Marlin Daniel Menard & Nino Bright (Controlled Chaos); 3rd Place Tuna Gregory Zieman, Matt Zieman & Daniel Crane (Z Breeze).

Please click HERE to view the newly updated 2014 winners list on our website…

Sad Note of the Week

Carl Darenberg Found Dead in Montauk Harbor

Carl Darenberg, seen here in 2008, was found dead in Montauk Harbor on Monday morning. (Photo Above.)

The man found dead in the the water off Uihlein’s Marina in Montauk Monday morning has been identified as Carl Darenberg Jr., the owner of the Montauk Marine Basin and a well-known figure in the hamlet.

According to police, Mr. Darenberg, 64, was found in Montauk Harbor off West Lake Drive, not far from the marina that has been in his family for nearly 60 years, at about 9:40 a.m.

East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo confirmed Mr. Darenberg’s identity this afternoon, though no further information was immediately available.

Please click HERE to read more about this sad story on our website…

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