On Tuesday February 26, The Billfish Foundation (TBF) President Ellen Peel and Mario Ernesto Salaverria, the Minister of Agriculture of El Salvador and Chairman Pro Temp of the Organization for Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Central American Isthmus (OSPESCA) signed a cooperative agreement to join forces in developing a regional plan to develop a sustainable and conservation-based management plan for billfish and other fish species important to the sportfishing sector. This agreement culminated four months of discussions between the organizations after TBF was invited by OSPESCA to join the project.

Under the agreement TBF will provide scientific support to develop an integrated management system to collect biological and socio-economic information to support the conservation of species that support the valuable sportfishing tourism in the region.
TBF's Ellen Peel said, "We know that this will not be a simple or easy task, but with the leadership of Dr. Russell Nelson and TBF's new Central American Conservation Director Herbert Nanne, I think we have a real opportunity for success." Mario Gonzalez, Director of OSPESCA, voiced similar optimism noting that the Ministers in charge of fisheries in the region supported the partnership and were serious about managing sportfishing for sustainable use and to provide the social and economic benefits available from developing sportfishing tourism. Join TBF by visiting www.billfish.org.