What a great fishing year it was. Thank you for realizing that every one of your fishing trips is important enough to have the comprehensive fishing forecasting information that ROFFS™ provides. The fishing oceanographic analyses will increase your fish per gallon of fuel used ratio, as well as, your fish per hour average. The 2008 fishing year was a record year for ROFFS™. Our clients (you) won awards in 435 categories in 111 major tournaments. This breaks our (your) previous record (391 winners in 2006) and increases our 17 year tally to 4242 winners!
A United States IGFA record blue marlin (1228.5 lbs) was caught by Trey Ervine on Bill Burris’s Mimi. This is also a North Carolina State Record, which brings our overall tally to four World Records, one U.S. Record, and 16 State Records. Sean Mecchella (Fish Fever) won the FLW Kingfish Angler of the Year and won the Southern Kingfish Association National Championship. ROFFS™ clients also won top awards in multiple tournament venues such as the North Carolina Governor’s Cup, World Billfish Series Mid-Atlantic Division and Gulf of Mexico Division, Ocean City Marlin Club Seasonal, Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club Seasonal, Cape May Marlin & Tuna Club Seasonal, Northeast Florida Marlin Association Seasonal, Mobile Big Game Fishing Club Seasonal, Houston Big Game Fishing Club Seasonal, and Corpus Christi Big Game Fishing Club Seasonal awards. Please review the enclosed Winners List and send additions, photos, and corrections.
Overall, we were able to fulfill 96% of all requests for analyses this year. This improves our previous (2005) record of 94%. I never thought we could do this. This is truly an amazing feat by our team of expert satellite fisheries oceanographers. This was accomplished, in part, to our use of more satellite data than we had in any previous year. ROFFS™ is now using all the functioning NOAA infrared satellite data (NOAA_15, 16, 17, 18), as well as, the NASA Terra and Aqua satellites (infrared and visible ocean color-chlorophyll + dissolved colored organic matter misnamed “plankton” or “clarity satellites”) and the European Space Agency (ESA) satellite Metop-A infrared satellite data. We started to use this ESA satellite this year. Now for U.S., Bahamian, and Mexican waters we are using seven satellites operationally for sea surface temperature and two satellites for ocean color. However, in 2009 we plan on adding another European satellite that will provide sea surface temperature, ocean color, and some additional data that we are experimenting with. We anticipate that this new data will reduce the challenges related to cloud interference. We will continue to work on acquiring new sources of conventional and non-conventional oceanographic data as we have since we opened for business in 1987.
With the abundance of satellite data, as well as, hydrographic and meteorological data we are better able to visualize and understand the ocean circulation and water mass boundary features related to fish distribution and catch success. This allows ROFFS™ to continue providing our unique and superior detailed fishing oceanographic analysis, even though it is a time intensive process. We will continue developing state-of-the-science customized tools and techniques in our never tiring attempt to provide more accurate, precise, and reliable analyses.
OFFICE NEWS
We continue to make many changes to our web site (roffs.com) and have learned that many people purchase our analyses directly through the internet. Keep a keen watch on our website for new publications and presentations related to fisheries oceanography, fish forecasting, satellite remote sensing and fish conservation. Analysis of our client’s purchasing patterns indicate that most of our clients (88%) are receiving their analyses via email and that 68% of our clients are using GPS (Latitude – Longitude). Thank you for purchasing computers and printers so that you can take advantage of the color analyses. Note that we have changed our office email to fish7@roffs.com to combat the problem of spam.
We are already working on improving our background charts for the 2008 season. Please provide additional comments on charts, areas, and products you would like to see us provide special attention to. Please communicate your ideas on this and other issues as soon as possible so we can start working on them. We are developing new products that integrate new oceanographic data derived from public and private sources into our fishing forecasting analyses.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, BOAT SHOWS, AND SEMINARS
ROFFS™ remains active in the scientific community. Last April we won an international scientific grant competition from NASA to work with National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the International Commission on the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) on bluefin tuna. This three year study entitled “Improving the NOAA NMFS and ICCAT Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries Management Decision Support System” is a collaborative effort with ROFFS™ (as Principal Investigator), NMFS Miami, FL and Pascagoula, MS Laboratories, University of Miami Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Science (CIMAS), and the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, School for Marine Science and Technology. We were selected again to be part of the NASA Biodiversity and Ecological Modeling Science Team, and we will continue to work with the NASA Ocean Color Science Team. The technology learned in these research efforts is transferred to you through the improvement of our fishing oceanographic analyses.
In 2009, we will be exhibiting again at the Atlantic City (NJ) International Powerboat Show Feb. 04-08 (booth #319). We will be exhibiting at the Miami (FL) International Boat Show Feb. 12 – 16 (booth #M-50). Again this coming year I will rejoin the Saltwater Sportsman Magazine National Seminar Series team as a National Instructor for the Bradenton, Fl (Jan. 17th) and Virginia Beach (Feb. 21st) seminars. I will also be participating in the Recreational Fishing Alliance Offshore Seminar (March 14th Revolution Marine, Tuckerton, NJ), as well as, several other club seminars around the country. I would like to visit your fishing club or organization to make a scientific presentation on the effects of the ocean conditions on the distribution and catchability of marlin, tuna, sharks, mahi, wahoo and kingfish. Please call if you are interested in hosting a seminar.
Have and happy holiday season and healthy, happy successful New Year!
