Long distance black marlin recapture
by Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW 20 Sep 2023 23:20 BST
With favourable environmental conditions and fantastic inshore fishing opportunities up and down the coast, the warmer months gave many boats and anglers the opportunity to target, catch and tag juvenile black marlin.
With large numbers of fish being tagged, there was also a significant number of recaptures reported. So far 40 black marlin recaptures have been reported for the 2022/23 season which is the highest recapture tally for the species in over 22 years! While many of the recaptures were fish caught close to where they were originally tagged, the program has had some fantastic examples of long-distance movements.
A game fish recapture form was submitted by a fish processor in the Philippines. The fishmonger had received a tag from a deckhand of an international longline vessel who had just returned from a long-distance fishing voyage throughout the Pacific Islands. During this trip, the commercial vessel managed to capture a tagged black marlin whilst fishing an area known as the Brumer Trench, which is well south of Baxter Harbour, Papua New Guinea.
A quick search of the database found that the black marlin was tagged offshore of Seal Rocks, NSW. The fish was originally caught on 25 February 2023 by Sydney GFC member, Matt Millauro, who was fishing aboard his family's boat Sammi-Jay. When the fish was initially tagged it was estimated it to be 40 kg. Upon recapture the fish weighed 58kg, highlighting an impressive growth rate. The fish spent only 79 days at liberty and was caught over 1247 nautical miles (~2310 km) from its original release location.
Each reported recapture contributes to our understanding of pelagic fish species. If you are lucky enough to recapture a tagged fish, please ensure you report it using the online recapture form.