WOW, here we go again! Another new year full of hope and promise for most but with a hint of pessimism from some. That latter bunch will still have the poor runs of wahoo and tuna last year in the forefront of their minds with the suggestion that things are likely to get worse, not better.

Something that should help their minds at ease is the fact that history has shown that a preceding year has little bearing on the one following it. This has been shown to work both ways. A good year maybe followed by a great year or a lousy one for any given species of fish.

Even more interesting is that there doesn't seem to be much consistency between species. For instance, last year saw relatively weak wahoo runs but the blue marlin fishing was not much short of spectacular. Some years we see more white marlin than usual and other years we see precious few whites.

There are a couple of assumptions that can be made which might help to see some rhyme or reason to these trends. First, the fish are all open ocean species and feed on pretty much the same food: squid, flying fish and just about any fish smaller than themselves. The bait species are aware of this and keep moving, bearing in mind the fact that the food that they feed on might be planktonic and subject to variations in season. This means that they move around a bit and, as a result, the fish following them do too.

Second, the ocean is a big place and even the boats that fish the less frequented areas around the island are only covering a microscopic portion of the Atlantic. Thus the fish could be in really good numbers 50 miles off to the southeast and no one would ever know about it. This is, in fact, known to be the case, because sailors on yachts travelling to and from Bermuda have often reported large schools of tuna and other fish in locations where local fishermen would never dream of going.

One thing about the billfish is that the fleet does tend to cover more water in their pursuit of these fish. The wahoo and tuna fishing tends to be confined to the 30 to 50 fathom drop-off around the Edge and Banks; yet we know that floating objects in the middle of nowhere often harbour schools of wahoo and dolphin. So, we can probably take heart that last year was just one of those vagaries Capt. Jimmy Loveland who organises the Bermuda Triangle Series of billfish tournaments has once again gotten involved in the Miami International Boat Show.

As has been the case for the last few years, there will be a Big Game Room which will highlight big game fishing from all over the world. There will be demonstrations of tackle and bait rigging, expositions by different destinations and manufacturers.

Rather than totally restricting interest to those who have the ability to afford the pursuit of marlin and giant tuna, a new section this year will be devoted to flats fishing with world famous artist Carey Chen providing the thematic artwork. While Bermuda actually has some rather good flats fishing, it gets very little exposure. Bonefish, Palometa and barracuda are all species that can be taken over the flats around the Island. Granted, we don't get species such as red drum, permit and rarely enough tarpon, but there is some interesting spinning and fly fishing to be had both on the flats that abut against the island (Somerset Long Bay, etc.) and offshore in and amongst the reefs (such as Brackish Pond Flats or White Flat). Some of what will be on display at the boat show this year will doubtless be of interest to local anglers making the pilgrimage.

As a special feature this year, several conservation-oriented organisations, such as The Billfish Foundation, will be hosting a Billfish Conservation Forum. Although largely directed toward the rather vast US market, the forum will look to produce recommendations that can then be referred to management organisations such as ICCAT and the US Governmental agencies responsible for fisheries management.

At first blush, some of the suggestions for improved management are pretty draconian. Most are directed at the commercial fishery but they also provoke a long hard look at the so-called "sports fisherman". The point is made that although the commercial fishery takes and otherwise disposes of thousands of billfish each year, the sports fleet makes a contribution to the mortality of plenty of billfish too. Maybe less directly, but how many fish have been hooked in the eye and then released? A one-eyed fish is at a serious disadvantage in the ocean both in terms of exposure to predators (easy to sneak up on from the blind side) and in introducing feeding difficulties (lack of stereoscopic vision is a definite hindrance).

As a result, there are resolutions aimed at restricting the landing of blue marlin to potential records only with the exception of fish destined to be entered in the July 4th World Cup; forcing the use of a single circle hook only in natural baits, and only permitting the use of barbless hooks in lures. There are likely to be some pretty outrageous exchanges of viewpoints at this meeting but do not underestimate the power of the American billfish lobby. It was largely as a result of their efforts at international fora that Bermuda had to institute minimum sizes for the retention of blue and white marlin! For those interested, the dates for this year's Miami show are from the 16th-20th February with the Conservation Forum scheduled for the morning of the 17th. Anyone wishing to attend should be aware that reservations are required. Inquiries can be directed to Loveland at his e-mail: lovetoislands.vi or through his tournament website: www.abmt.vi.

Unable to bear a relatively fishless Bermuda winter, Brian Lines, Craigin Curtis and Ian Card are pursuing glory in the form of the Bahamas Wahoo Championship. Fishing from the Off Piste, they currently lead the fleet with a win during the recently fished first Port Lucaya leg of the Championship. The tournament is spread over about six weeks with the next leg being fished next week off Treasure Cay and the final leg being a second Port Lucaya competition in early February. One thing is for sure, Bermuda boat and crews have always done well in Bahamian wahoo tournaments. When it comes to wahoo, we Bermudians know a thing or two about Tight lines!!!