Cavalli Islands tag wins IGFA Great Marlin Race
Striped marlin travels an impressive straight-line distance of 4,739nm
Captain David Woof aboard the Nammu has been declared the winner of the 2023-2024 IGFA Great Marlin Race with tagging of a striped marlin at the Cavalli Islands.
The annual IGFA Great Marlin Race takes place from 1 October to 30 September each year. The race is a billfish research and conservation initiative where recreational anglers deploy satellite tags on the billfish they catch. The tags transmit vital information to researchers who analyse and share the data.
Since its launch in 2011, more than 600 satellite tags have been deployed on billfish worldwide, making it the largest programme of its kind.
During the 2023-2024 race, a total of 30 satellite tags were deployed on five billfish species during 14 global tagging events.
The winning striped marlin for this year’s event, caught by David Woof on 6 January 2024, travelled an impressive straight-line distance of 4,739nm from the tagging location off the northeast coast of New Zealand and popped up on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, west of the Galapagos Islands after 244 days at liberty.
The incredible journey is not just this year's longest, but also ranks as the third longest in the program's history and the longest for a striped marlin by over 2000nm, with a total estimated travel distance of 6,517nm.
The marlin’s journey, modelled by Stanford University and Barbara Block, shows it spent January and February around East Northland, left New Zealand waters in March, navigated warm waters in May and June, and eventually reached the eastern side of the East Pacific Ridge.
"The IGFA Great Marlin Race was established to involve the angling community in citizen science," says IGFA president, Jason Schratwieser.
"By marrying competition and conservation, we can gather data that helps ensure the survival of these magnificent species. This year's winners exemplify the heart of this programme – a deep commitment to conservation and the betterment of sport fishing.”
