ANGLER ASSISTANCE
Recreational anglers release the vast majority of
black and blue marlin caught in Australia, and the
information from tag-and-release practices, as well as
scientific deployment of satellite tags (with assistance
from recreational anglers), generates incredibly
valuable scientific data. This has helped researchers
gain a better understanding of the movement and
connectivity of marlin populations in the Pacific and
Indian oceans, as well as trends in their size, growth
and other biological information.
Even the small percentage of marlin that are
retained and landed by anglers, for example during
tournaments, presents an opportunity for scientists
to gather samples regarding marlin age, growth and
maturity that can help population assessments.
BILLFISH AND LONGLINERS
On the commercial fisheries side, longline fishers
operating in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery
(ETBF) and the Western Tuna and Billfish Fishery
(WTBF) must release all black and blue marlin as a
requirement of the Fisheries Management Act 1991.
Compliance with this mandatory requirement is
monitored by electronic monitoring (video cameras)
installed on all vessels in the fishery. The safe and
quick release of black and blue marlin is aided by
the requirement for all longline vessels to carry
specialised line cutter and de-hooking equipment.
This is also used to help release any other important
wildlife occasionally encountered. In order to adhere
to this requirement, Commonwealth longline vessel
operators must constantly monitor their stock levels
of this equipment on board.
Longline effort in Eastern Australian
waters from 1979 to 2015 – courtesy of
the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and
Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES).This CSIRO map of the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery shows eastern Australia’s Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) and the areas and volume of longlining effort within it during 2016.bluewatermag.com.au 75