A RECENT game fish recapture form was submitted by a fish processor in the Philippines. The fishmonger had received a tag from a deckhand of an international longline vessel who had just returned from a long-distance fishing voyage throughout the Pacific Islands. During this trip, the commercial vessel managed to capture a tagged black marlin whilst fishing an area known as the Brumer Trench, which is well south of Baxter Harbour, Papua New Guinea.
The black marlin was originally tagged offshore of Seal Rocks, NSW. The fish was originally caught on 25 February 2023 by Sydney GFC member, Matt Millauro, who was fishing aboard his family’s boat Sammi-Jay. When the fish was initially tagged it was estimated it to be 40kg. Upon recapture the fish weighed 58kg, highlighting an impressive growth rate. The fish spent only 79 days at liberty and was caught over 1247 nautical miles (~2310km) from its original release location.
If you’re lucky enough to recapture a tagged fish, please ensure you report it using our online recapture form https://bit.ly/3XJdHpy.
