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
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.
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.
