Fish bites: Tagged striped marlin shares its secrets
Missing boat owner sought; NSW fishing app update; big swells to hit WAA striped marlin tagged off NSW’s Batemans Bay and recaptured three months later has provided valuable insight into how the trophy fish moves through the water column.
The marlin was initially tagged by fishing identity Al McGlashan on February 17. Once released, data recovered by NSW Fisheries show it moved off the shelf area where it was tagged and headed for deeper water.
In March, it circled south down around Bermagui and then north to wide off Wollongong, before heading about 250km offshore from Sydney.
The striped marlin then backtracked towards Newcastle in early April, hugging the continental slope, moving offshore from Port Macquarie before moving back to the continental shelf off Port Stephens.
“From there, it moved steadily south along the edge and out slightly over the continental slope area whilst working down to the Batemans Bay area in early May,” Fisheries NSW said.
“From there it continued down to the Narooma area and moved slightly further offshore and back in before being caught by the commercial vessel.”
Of note, the striped marlin spent more than 60 per cent of its time less than 10 metres below the surface in waters running from 21 to 26 degrees.
The data also showed the striped marlin dived multiple times a day, anywhere between 50 metres and almost 400 metres.
NSW Fisheries is tracking tagged fish in collaboration with the Australian National Sportfishing Association (NSW) and NSW Game Fishing Association.
Who owns this boat?
Gippsland Ports is seeking the owner of an 8.5-metre fibreglass yacht named Hakuna Mattata – that's Swahili for "no trouble" – before it is seized and sold.
According to Gippsland Ports, it has been unable to contact the boat's owner, and has issued a callout for whomever has a claim to the boat, registration DY 399, to come forward within 28 days and claim it.
If not, Gippsland Ports says it will dispose of the yacht with all associated costs, including court and legal expenses, to be recovered from the boat's sale.
New-look fishing app for NSW
NSW has updated its FishSmart NSW app to include more information on responsible fishing, including how anglers can reduce their impact on the environment – with a strong focus on reducing litter.
That includes ways to minimise gear loss.
The updated app is available via Apple's App Store or Google Play.
Big swells to hit WA’s southern coast
Rough seas are predicted off the coast of southern Western Australia for the next few days creating dangerous conditions offshore for boaters.
According to the the Cape Naturaliste marine forecast issued by the Bureau of Meteorology today, swell in the area is expected to peak at around 7.0 metres over the next few days as the front from a high pressure system extends inland, creating dangerous offshore and surf conditions.
As well, tides are expected to be higher than usual.
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