About us

CONSERVE BILLFISH, CONSERVE LIFE

Billfish Conservation Project

Billfish Conservation Project is a 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization established to protect our valuable Ocean resources and Billfish.

Our mission started on 2019 over a casual dinner with friends discussing our passion for fishing and all the joy it’s added to our lives. We all came to the same conclusion, that we must do something now, to ensure that our grandkids and their grandkids are able to enjoy this same passion that we have grown to love. We started right away by getting involved in Billfish conservation projects in and around our region, focusing on Guatemala.

We have 4 main objectives

Help our agencies enforce the law
Education and Responsible Harvesting.
Academia
Tourism

The solution is known, but the resources, or lack thereof need to be replenished and that’s where we step in. We are fighting for you and your grandkids to protect our valuable Ocean Resources, our Billfish and our passion for life.

The Team

The one element we can control that guarantees sustainability for our fishery is CONSERVATION.

Co-Founder

Niels Erichsen

Niels Erichsen is the Commercial Director of the Retail Segment of BOFASA, the largest Guatemalan conglomerate of Pharmacy Chains and Wholesale Distribution. With its three brands of pharmacies – Meykos, Cruz Verde & Del Ahorro – they have a commanding stake in the pharmaceutical market. His overall objective is to oversee the Sales Objectives, while managing the marketing, operations and sales departments. He is part of the Board of Directors, assigned corporately to new market opportunities and future ventures.

Notable in Niels’ career is the 10+ years of regional experience he acquired in sales, marketing and high level management while working for corporations as prestigious as Microsoft, Philip Morris and Abbott Laboratories.

Niels’s greatest strength is his versatility within the regional markets and his experience understanding how the local economies work. Whether he is developing new territories for pharmaceutical products, launching marketing campaigns in niche markets, or managing a thriving sales force, Niels always succeds to become a highly strategic member of the company’s growth.

The one project Niels has enjoyed the most lies within the Tourism Industry in Guatemala. He launched Pacific Fins Resort & Marina, a Boutique Hotel specializing in deep-sea fishing vacations, offering high-end yacht and hotel services for experienced anglers from all over the world. This business/hobby has given Niels the opportunity to give back to his country through his avid work in the conservation of the Sailfish. It has proven to be such a worthy cause that the International Game Fish Association recognized his efforts in 2017 and awarded him with the Conservation Award for Individual Accomplishments.

Niels has been a professor of Marketing and Sales Management at the Universidad del Istmo, Guatemala. He holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration and Marketing from the Pontífica Universidad Católica de Chile, a Bachelor’s degree from Universidad Francisco Marroquín, Guatemala with a focus on Business Administration. Niels and his wife of 20+ years, Geraldine, are the proud parents of four children – for whom he works so hard for. He states that his personal and professional focus on life comes from being a competitive athlete. For the last years, he has been training consistently and participates yearly in several mid-distance Ironman events worldwide.

Co-Founder

Ozzy Delgado

Ozzy Delgado was born in Cuba and grew up just footsteps from the ocean. Now living in South Florida, he credits his grandfather and father, both fishermen, with teaching him the value of fishing responsibly and ocean conservation. It was a message he both heard and lived out, fishing alongside his grandfather from a very early age. Ozzy has carried that passion with him into adulthood. Still an avid fisherman, he’s also become a strong supporter of conservation organizations focused on issues such as reef restoration, Biscayne National Park coastal cleanup efforts, and shark conservation.

As the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Guy Harvey Magazine from 2012 – 2016, Ozzy managed and promoted numerous fishing tournaments and conservation events, bringing in top corporations in the fishing industry – from Mercury Marine to Lowrance and many others. When Grundens decided to expand their business from commercial fishing into the recreational fishing sector, they tapped into Ozzy’s talent and knowledge for such an important transition. After a successful stint at Grundens, Ozzy took on another challenge – managing Guatemala’s top fishing resort – Pacific Fins. Under his leadership, Pacific Fins now runs a blossoming and highly popular fishing operation. Even more importantly, the resort helps to fund billfish research and is the leader in the Eastern Tropical Pacific in protecting billfish harvest.

Ozzy’s networking talent and loyalty have made him a popular and key figure in the fishing world and at just XX years old, his future continues to shine.

Juan Manuel Cobar

Director of Operations

Juan Manuel is our director of operations due to his commitment on sportfishing industry and on conservation. He has fished his entire life for sailfish and other big game species. Juan Manuel has his career as agricultural engineer with a master's degree on Applied Economics and Business Administration. He has been part of fishing industry since 2014 as board of director of Club Nautico de Guatemala, Fishing Association of Guatemala, International Light Tackle Tournament Association BOD and has been chairman of several Guatemalan tournaments, international tournaments and even ILTTA. He has fished the continent in different tournaments getting significant results for himself, his club and of course his country.

In addition to his passion for sport fishing, Juan Manuel is also a business man as managing partner of his company being representative of different brands of swimwear, sportswear and outdoor products; also he's been manager that has been part of different fishing lodges in the sailfish capital of the world country". He is part of the sailfish commission who has been know as "the blueprint in conservation to the world".

Juan Manuel currently resides in Guatemala City with his wife.

Fred Garth

Executive Director

Fred Garth grew up fishing, swimming and snorkeling along the northern Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola, Florida. When he was only six, he and his 18-year-old brother buddy breathed from a scuba tank in 20 feet of water, an event that shaped his future. Twenty years later Fred became the editor of Scuba Times magazine and soon advanced to the position of Publisher. During his four decades in the media business, he has launched 14 magazines, most notably, Guy Harvey Magazine in 2010. The adventure magazine business allowed Fred to explore the far reaches of the planet’s oceans - scuba diving, boating and fishing. Those passions strengthen his devotion to marine conservation. His collaborations with Dr. Guy Harvey deepened his commitment to protect the world’s waters and the species living there. Fred has served as a board of director for numerous non-profit organizations and his articles on marine conservation have been widely published. A prolific writer, he has penned thousands of articles for media giants such as CNN, the New York Times, Gannett and Virgin Unite, and has developed shows for National Geographic Television and many other video and film groups. Working with the BCP is a dream come true for Fred as it combines his leadership and media skill sets as well as his focus on marine conservation issues. For more information: www.fredgarth.com.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Meet the people helping to protect Billfish This people truly care about Conservation

BOD Secretary

Joaquin Chamizo

Chief Operating Officer of “Passion Restaurant Group” located in Miami Florida.

Founded in 2007, Passion Restaurant Group is the parent company for 3 restaurant locations in Miami, Fl.

Joaquin began his restaurant career at age 14, working with his father’s restaurants in Miami. Joaquin graduated with a marketing degree and his restaurant career has included positions as National Marketing Manager for Tony Roma’s Restaurants, Marketing and Development Manager for Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Director or Marketing with Damon’s Grill in Columbus, Ohio. He currently oversees day-to-day operations for Passion Restaurant Group.

Joaquin and his wife Helen are avid fly fishing anglers and have traveled the world together targeting both fresh and saltwater species. Fishing and Conservation has always been an important part of his life. The angling experiences they have shared need to be here for all future generations to enjoy.

BOD

George Gozdz

Throughout his childhood, fishing was George’s true passion. As a young boy, George fished the waterways of Florida and dreamed of one day becoming a famous fisherman like his television idols. As a young man, with that dream still in his heart, he entered the field of emergency medicine, but his down time was always spent on the water. After 15 years in a high-stress work environment, this father of 2 decided to follow his dreams and make fishing his full-time career. In 2004, George obtained his captain’s license and became a saltwater guide and quickly found success.

After several years of being a local guide, Captain George was a frequent guest host on a number of popular fishing shows. In 2010, this exposure and his reputation as an angler’s angler led to him being tapped as the host of one of the most popular fishing shows “Reel Time Florida Sportsman”. After over one hundred shows and eight seasons, Captain George was ready for a new challenge and the next chapter in his career. In 2019 production began his new project, Unfathomed. When Capt.George isn’t producing Unfathomed, you’ll find him guiding on the waters near his home in Stuart, Florida. He loves fishing in Central America and this is why he’s so involve in conservation.

BOD

Pablo Sechel

Founder of Pesca Guate, a local company dedicated to sport fishing charters that has been operating since 2013.

At the age of 8, Pablo had his first experience on the high seas and began his passion for sport fishing.

Thanks to the support of his father and his father’s friends, he had the opportunity to lear how to fish.

He is an active fishermen of the Club Nautico de Guatemala and the National Sportfishing Association in Guatemala since 2011, participating in national tournaments.

Over the years he has develop in the sport and in his entrepenurship.

He has participated in international tournaments representing his country in places like El Salvador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico.

In all international events that he has participated in, he has met people, new techniques and technologies that contribute to the growth of the sport fishing.

As a sport fisherman and owner of a local charter business, he know the importance of protecting and conserving species.

“A Sailfish is worth more alive than dead”…