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Victorian swordfish
studied with satellite tags
Over the past couple of seasons, eastern Victoria’s new-
found swordfish fishery off Mallacoota and Lakes Entrance
has raised many questions.
Information about the habits of these deep-water predators in
Victorian waters is limited to non-existent, but a new study by
the University of Tasmania hopes to gain new insights to better
understand this fishery. However, its main goal is to determine
the survival rate of swordfish released after being caught in great
depths using the new daytime deep-drop technique.
Sophisticated pop-up satellite tags are being deployed in a
collaboration with Victorian charterboats and recreational anglers.
Dr Sean Tracey from the Institute for Marine and Arctic Studies
has been at the forefront of the program, funded by the Victorian
Recreational Fishing Trust.
Steve Taranto’s team aboard Home Strait, based at Lakes Entrance,
were the first to kick off the study when they successfully released
‘Jane’ on 18 May, an estimated 90kg swordfish. Five days later, Ian
Middleton tagged a huge swordfish estimated at 270kg while fishing
with Richard Abela aboard his charterboat Dream Catcher II on the
Mallacoota grounds. This one they named ‘Hope’.
Both swordfish swam away strongly. The tags will hopefully pop
off the fish, float to the surface and transmit the recorded data to a
satellite after the preprogramed time of 270 days. However, should
the fish lay motionless for an extended period, the tag will also
pop off, indicating to scientists that the fish had died – either from
predation or the capture.
Now we wait to see where Jane and Hope travel to... Happy
hunting, girls!Victoria turns on the bluefin
At the western edge of Victoria, Portland really turned it on
over April and May, with consistent captures of extra-large
southern bluefin tuna on the inshore grounds.
The smaller 10 to 20kg school fish were late to show this season,
however, they turned up in large numbers at the beginning of June.
Some impressive captures were taken, including some David & Goliath
battles with big tuna in little boats that won’t be forgotten any time
soon for all those involved.
Already a seasoned junior angler at 13 years of age, Daniel Lazarevski
inspired anglers around the nation when he landed one of the biggest
bluefin tuna of the season, weighing just under 150kg. Another
fishing family getting amongst the action was the Cauchi family from
Melbourne. Over the course of several weeks, Michelle and Steve,
together with their two sons Mitchell and James, caught eight ‘barrel’
bluefin weighing more than 100kg, and lost several more after gruelling
battles lasting into the night.
While based at Portland, Richard Abela’s traveling charterboat Dream
Catcher II had clients into action with multiple tuna. During a one-week
period, Richard’s clients captured seven tuna between 100 and 140kg.
At times they had schools of jumbo southern bluefin exploding through
tightly packed baitballs of redbait alongside them.On a visit from Papua New Guinea, Ian Middleton released this 270kg
swordfish with a satellite tag while fishing off Mallacoota in eastern
Victoria aboard Richard Abela’s Dream Catcher II.Richard Abela (at right) with his charter clients and
southern bluefin tuna of 118kg and 124kg caught off
Portland in western Victoria during the hot fishing in May.NEWSLINES