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NEWSLINESEffective May 1, the IGFA has added two new
opportunities to its prestigious Trophy Club
program.
Any angler fishing in accordance with IGFA
International Angling Rules who catches a bigeye
tuna (Atlantic or Pacific) or a yellowfin tuna that
weighs at least 90kg (200lb) or has a fork length
of at least 1.7m (70 inches) will qualify for one of
these new Trophy Clubs. Send your entry to Jack
Vitek at the IGFA, on email: [email protected]IGFA Bigeye & Yellowfin
Tuna Trophy Clubs
The Great Swordfish Race
Under the title The Great Swordfish Race, 10 pop-
up satellite tags have been allocated for a study
of swordfish in New South Wales, being conducted
by the Australian Tagging Program run by the NSW
Department of Primary Industries. This research
is intended to help maximise the potential of the
recreational swordfish fishery in NSW, and to
ensure its longevity is maintained.
The first of the 10 satellite tags was recently
deployed off the southern Sydney coast by swordfish
specialist Chris Cleaver, who tagged the 30kg fish
with Ryan Camlin while daytime deep-dropping with
a circle-hook-rigged bait set at 500m. Their fish is
typical of the size usually caught off Sydney.
Each satellite tag is programmed to stay on
the fish for 12 months, during which time it
records information on water depth, light levels
and temperature. Then tag then detaches and
floats to the surface where it beams the data up
to a satellite and from there on to the NSW DPI.
The data will also provide NSW fisheries managers
and researchers with a track showing where the
fish moved during the time it was tagged. The fish
recording the furthest distance travelled will win
the race.
The Great Swordfish Race project aims to provide
data on this exciting fishery, including the timing
and availability of swordfish in NSW, whether
swords return to the same grounds seasonally, and
their suitability for Catch & Release fishing.
NSW DPI is undertaking the project with the
Australian National Sportfishing Association (NSW)
and the NSW Game Fishing Association. A small
team of NSW-based swordfish experts will be
provided with the expensive tags.
Data from this project will be used as part of
a larger swordfish project being undertaken by
Dr Sean Tracey of the Institute for Marine and
Antarctic Studies in Hobart, with similar objectives
already completed in Tasmania and currently
underway in Victoria. For more information, visit....
https://bit.ly/2vMeU34- Phil Bolton and Clay Hilbert
Australian Tagging Program – NSW DPI
Ryan Camlin releases
the first of 10 swordfish
to be tracked with
satellite tags in NSW.
The new study aims to
learn the timing and
availability of swordfish
in NSW, whether they
return to the same
grounds seasonally,
and their suitability for
Catch & Release fishing.A pop-up satellite tag (PSAT)
ready for deployment on a
swordfish. These amazing
minicomputers record
depth, water temperature
and positioning data, and
are programmed with a
mechanism to detach from
the fish and float up to the
surface, where they upload
the data to an orbiting
satellite.