BAZARUTO ARCHIPELAGO THE OTHER GRANDER BLACK MARLIN HOTSPOT

Transcription

1 MOZAMBIQUE S PHENOMENAL BAZARUTO ARCHIPELAGO THE OTHER GRANDER BLACK MARLIN HOTSPOT AUTHOR AND PHOTOGRAPHY: CAPT DUARTE RATO A small group of African islands off the south coast of Mozambique is one of the gamefishing world s great discoveries. With little commercial fishing and light angling pressure on its abundance of marine life, the Bazaruto Archipelago produces enormous black marlin with surprising consistency, as well as huge blues and a plethora of light-tackle delights. Local charter captain Duarte Rato opens the door... The Bazaruto Archipelago is a fish-rich area comprising seagrass meadows and intertidal flats that join coral reef and sandy-shore ecosystems before feeding into deep, fast-flowing tidal channels between the islands. 46 facebook.com/bluewatermagazine

2 At the time the once exceptional fishery for giant black marlin off Cabo Blanco in Peru was at its peak, and Australia s grander black marlin grounds off Cairns were but a distant dream, a group of pioneering anglers were turning their attention to the waters on the eastern coastline of the dark continent, specifically to a small group of islands off the south coast of Mozambique. Men like Alfredo Esteves de Sousa, Jorge Brum do Canto, Vitorino Martins and Joao Sacadura Botte from Mozambique;; Albert van der Riet, Mike Youngleson and Ralph Hulett from South Africa;; and Basil Hill, Doug Dryden and Jim Mortleman from modern-day Zimbabwe were among the first to ply the waters of what was to become Africa s big-game fishing mecca for giant black marlin. Situated just above the Tropic of Capricorn in southern Mozambique, the Bazaruto Archipelago is a maritime national park. It consists of the five islands of Bangue, Magaruque, Benguerra, St Carolina and Bazaruto, which are roughly situated between 8 and Africa MOZAMBIQUE MADAGASGAR BAZARUTO ARCHIPELAGO bluewatermag.com.au 47

3 Bazaruto Archipelago This huge black marlin was caught by Jerome Sedgwick aboard Vamizi in November After a five-and-ahalf-hour fight the fish was sharked right beside the boat. The remains weighed 502.1kg (1107lb), but the measurements confirmed it could have weighed more than 635kg (1400lb) when whole! 17 nautical miles off the mainland. Bazaruto, the most northerly, is the largest in the island group. This archipelago is within the Inhambane Province, historically known as the land of good people. FISH RICH This fish-rich area is washed by the south-flowing Mozambican Current, which runs between Mozambique and Madagascar. It is dominated by two climatic systems: the Indian Ocean subtropical anticyclone system of south-east trade winds and the southern end of the East African monsoonal system. The region is blessed with a moderately humid climate and an average annual temperature of 24 C, with the hottest period normally January to February. From the air it is easy to see that the region s exceptional wealth of marine life stems from the more than three-metre tides that flow through a broad diversity of habitats co-existing close together. Seagrass meadows and intertidal flats join coral reef and sandy-shore ecosystems before feeding into deep, fast-flowing tidal channels between the islands. These flow over the outer-reef structure and into the open ocean to the east, with water temperatures ranging from 21 C in winter to 31 C in summer. The region s abundance and diversity of fish life is enormous and explains why large female marlin, along with smaller males, congregate here to spawn each year. No other area in the Indian Ocean comes close to producing enormous black marlin with the same consistency. Except for one caught 200km to the south off Tofo in 1971, the Bazaruto Archipelago is the only place in Africa where black marlin weighing more than 450kg have been caught. AFRICA S FIRST GRANDERS The area s gamefishing history started when local Portuguese entrepreneur Joaquim Alves built a hotel in 1955 on St Carolina Island, better known as Paradise Island. Fishing from the hotel s small and basic fleet of single-screw wooden boats with rudimentary fighting chairs and tackle, pioneer big-game anglers from colonial Mozambique, Rhodesia and South Africa soon started catching very big marlin. Most marlin are released, but when a fish dies, like this grander black caught aboard Vamizi, it is cause for singing and great celebration. Men and women come from the local village to help get the fish to the weighstation, and afterwards it is cut up and divided among all families. Absolutely nothing goes to waste.

4 Bazaruto Archipelago Carl Jankowitz (centre) has fished the region frequently, catching several granders, including this 498kg (1098lb) black caught aboard Vamizi in November With him is Vamizi s first mate, Alex Zivane, and Peter Dowling, who has also seen many big fish off the archipelago. In comparison to the bridle-rigged mackerel tuna hanging from its mouth, the enormity of this huge black marlin caught aboard Vamizi is staggering. It weighed 502.1kg after being mauled by sharks, but it was estimated to weigh more than 635kg when whole. Following an epic eight-hour battle, Ralph Hullet boated Africa s first grander on 28 October 1960, a 454.5kg (1002lb) black marlin. Over the following 15 years leading up to Mozambique s independence from Portugal in 1974, many other giants were caught. Sandy Sanderson reset the African record at 516.6kg (1139lb) in October The Mozambican civil war that erupted soon after literally put these fertile waters out of bounds for two decades. But despite the lack of infrastructure, the area had lured a few adventurous anglers back by the mid- to late 1990s. Those that came soon discovered that the war years had left the resources virtually untouched. While fishing from his 7.6m trailerboat in November 1998, the late Johnny Harrel broke the African all-tackle black marlin record with his mammoth fish of kg (1298lb). Although at this stage the numbers of big black marlin caught off Bazaruto cannot be compared to established giant marlin fisheries like Cairns, when one considers the small number of vessels involved, this area s numbers become very significant. Few boats fish these waters, and those that do mainly focus on light-tackle gamefishing, vertical jigging and popper-casting. Of the few boats that do fish for marlin during the heavy-tackle season, most are privately owned outboard-powered trailerboats. HUGE MARLIN My 9.5m charterboat Vamizi is one of the few that plies these waters daily during the season, and over the last six seasons we have weighed two blacks of more than 454kg (1000lb) and released another six. Sixty-nine-year-old Jerome Sedgwick fished with us in November 2009 and hooked his first-ever marlin on a live mackerel tuna. It turned out to be a monster black, but it was mauled by sharks right beside the boat after a gruelling battle lasting five-and-a-half hours. The remains weighed 502.1kg (1107lb), but the measurements confirmed it could have weighed more than 635kg (1400lb) when whole! During that same week another boat fought a beast estimated at 680kg (1500lb) for six hours before the line parted. The following November we released another two big blacks very close to the grander mark, and angler Carl Jankowitz weighed a 498kg (1098lb) black that became tail-wrapped and drowned after taking a trolled lure. Charterboat Spanish Fly and the private boat Quatro also released black marlin estimated at more than 450kg. Mackerel tuna make great baits for the big black marlin, either as slow-trolled livebaits or rigged dead skipbaits, however, lures are used most of the time and account for most of the fish. bluewatermag.com.au 49

5 No other area in the Indian Ocean comes close to producing enormous black marlin with the same consistency. Even the largest black marlin are caught in shallow water, close to the edge of the reef, so the island sand dunes are usually within sight, making a spectacular backdrop to the fishing action. During the 2013 season a considerable number of large black marlin were released. The privately owned 14m Big Bob, the only large gameboat fishing the archipelago, boated one that became tail-wrapped and died. It weighed 462kg (1018lb) and was caught by US angler Stephanie Choate, with Capt Jason Holtz of Hawaii at the helm. The 2014 season was even better for huge black marlin. The small fleet released a number of fish around 450kg, including three granders caught aboard Vamizi. Of course, the vast majority of fish caught are much smaller and can vary anywhere between 100 and 400kg. As with all fishing grounds, the Bazaruto Archipelago can be slow at times, but when it s firing you can expect to raise at least three to six fish per day. It is certainly gaining international awareness, with an ever-increasing number of boats and anglers visiting from overseas, as well as a growing charter fleet. The mainland area now boasts lodges for all budgets, and four exclusive high-end resorts have been operating on the islands for well over a decade, with a couple more in the pipeline. PEAK SEASON Bazaruto s peak season for big black marlin can start as early as mid-august and continue until February. While every season is different and one never really knows when it is going to peak, any time between mid-september to mid-december certainly seems to be the best bet. Fish over 250kg have been caught in all calendar months, and some years ago Vamizi released an estimated 360kg black in March and another one over 450kg in May. As a breeding ground for black marlin, Bazaruto also offers fairly good numbers of small marlin in the 15 to 70kg range. While these sometimes aggregate in water as shallow as 15m, most are found outside the archipelago s most well-known reefs. These baby blacks are ideal for light-tackle and fly fishing enthusiasts, and although they are present at the same time as the bigger fish they tend to be more prolific at the beginning and end of the season. Some years these little marlin also aggregate in April and May, the same time that large pods of sailfish start making their appearance in the archipelago. LOCAL METHODS In the pre-independence era, most fish were caught by trolling with reverse-rigged baits of the tuna or mackerel family at slow trolling speeds. After the war and to this day, trolling with livebaits or a spread of skipping and swimming baits are the most popular methods. Bonito, mackerel tuna, rainbow runner, scad, needlescale queenfish, yellowfin tuna, skipjack, king and queen mackerel are all popular baits. However, about 10 years ago a couple of boats started to successfully experiment with lures. This method grew in popularity because most boats wanted to enjoy the large by-catch of gamefish such as sailfish, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, dolphinfish and king mackerel that skirted trolling lures provide. Today, the number of marlin caught on lures represents a very significant percentage. This is quite remarkable, as in all other established fisheries for giant black marlin, natural baits account for the vast majority of fish. Visitors are always amazed that most of the big blacks are found right on the reef s edge, a mere two 50 facebook.com/bluewatermagazine

6 Bazaruto Archipelago Dolphinfish and many other tropical speedsters are caught in numbers around the Bazaruto Archipelago. to six nautical miles offshore in water depths of 45 to 120 metres. Vamizi s estimated 635kg (1400lb) fish was hooked in a mere 55m of water, and in 2012 there were two fish estimated at more than 450kg hooked in less than 50m! The shallow grounds close to the edge of the outer reef, where most fish are taken, are highly influenced by tides and a multitude of other phenomenon, which represents one of the most interesting and challenging aspects of fishing these waters. As conditions change on any given day, the top boats might switch between all three methods: trolling with either livebaits, a combination of rigged skipping and swimming baits, or lures. Fishing the reef-edge grounds lets you enjoy the breathtaking scenery of deserted beaches and exquisite sand dunes that make up Bazaruto s windward coastline. Boats departing from the mainland normally run across the bay for about 45 minutes to an hour to reach the fishing grounds, while for those operating from the islands the run might be a mere 15 to 40 minutes. Another exceptional aspect of fishing these waters is that on most days you will not have a single other boat in sight something of a rarity in this day and age. BIG BLUE MARLIN TOO Bazaruto s fishing grounds stretch for about 80NM, from 25-Mile Reef in the north to the Linene Banks down south. However, there is more extremely promising structure, especially further north, which is still largely unexplored. There is still much to be discovered in this fishery. Until recently, very few boats ventured out wide from the traditional black marlin grounds. However, in recent years boats have started heading out wide when the bite slows down close to the reef, and have found surprisingly good results. Although the occasional blue marlin is caught closer in, since boats began venturing out wide their captures have increased tenfold. Grander blues have been hooked and blues up to 400kg have been landed. Interestingly, the blue marlin seem to be present year-round, with boats catching blues even in the colder months of May to July during the 2014 season. Catches of striped marlin and the elusive shortbill spearfish have also soared. The region s broadbill swordfish potential is virtually unknown at this stage, but as there is good structure and bait to hold them and since they are caught in the surrounding waters it will not be surprising to find a healthy stock once anglers start targeting them. OTHER GAMEFISH Although huge black marlin are Bazaruto s main drawcard, the area s other fishing opportunities also have much to offer anglers. Some of the most prized offshore species include sailfish, wahoo, dolphinfish and yellowfin tuna. Sailfish are caught year-round, but are certainly more prolific in winter. They are particularly popular between May and August when raising double-digit figures can be expected. Wahoo can also be caught year-round, but the best season runs between late August and November, when most of the big fish are caught. Sometimes there s a second run in May and June. Fish of 10 to 35kg are the norm, but a few in excess of 40kg have been caught. Dolphinfish are common during the summer months between mid-september and April, with fish ranging from 3 to 25kg bulls. Perhaps because of the reduction in commercial fishing on Africa s east coast due to Somali pirates, yellowfin tuna have recently become available yearround. They tend to be more prolific in the summer months and most are in the range of 3 to 12kg, Bazaruto s peak season for big black marlin can start has early as mid-august and run all the way to February. Large blue marlin are frequently caught in the deep water out a few kilometres from the reef edge. bluewatermag.com.au 51

7 Bazaruto Archipelago making them ideal baits for the big marlin. Fish of 20 to 30kg are also regularly caught, as well as some over 50kg. With boats now venturing out wide more often, much bigger yellowfin have been caught in recent years. The biggest was an 83kg tuna taken in December The inshore fishing offers a kaleidoscope of species, making it a fishing heaven for light-tackle anglers. Whether popper-casting, vertical jigging, fly fishing, spinning, drop-shotting or conventional light-tackle trolling, there is something for everyone. King mackerel are one of the most abundant species and can grow to more than 35kg. Some of the most common species found inshore include skipjack tuna, bonito, queen mackerel, talang and five-spotted queenfish, rainbow runner, great and pickhandle barracuda and cobia, known locally as prodigal son. Also abundant are snapper, ladyfish, milkfish, bonefish, green and rosy jobfish, scad and 10 species of trevally, known locally as kingfish. These include bluefin, yellowtail, longfin, bigeye, brassy, yellow spotted, bludger, short-fin and ferdy. Popper-casting for GTs is almost a religion in the archipelago and specimens of 30kg are regularly caught, with some well over 40kg. Amberjack around the same calibre are caught on deep vertical jigs and the best time for them is in winter from May to August. Capt Duarte Rato with a large wahoo caught aboard his charterboat Vamizi. FULL OF LIFE The region has over 180 species of birds, 45 species of reptiles and 2000 species of fish. It is a success story in marine park conservation and is home to the indigenous Xitsonga-speaking Tsonga and Mahoca ethnic group. Dolphins and turtles are an everyday sight, while humpback whales are common during the winter months, particularly between June and October. Pilot whales, whale sharks, orcas and the occasional southern right whale can also be seen. While travelling to and from the fishing grounds, you may be lucky enough to spot a rare dugong. These can sometimes be seen in the sheltered bay between the islands and the mainland, grazing on the seagrass meadows, with the Bazaruto Archipelago supporting the largest population on Africa s east coast. The kind and smiling people of Bazaruto, which has a population of 3000, take you back to a time when people still lived the simple life. Of their own initiative, the local people stop fishing for three months of the year to let the ocean recover its cycle. At the beginning of every fishing season they carry out the kuphatla, a traditional ceremony to call for the spirits of the sea to provide for good fishing, good weather and to avoid accidents. 52 facebook.com/bluewatermagazine

8 Left: Most marlin are released with tags either from the African Billfish Foundation or the Oceanographic Research Institute of Durban. Training has also been introduced to ensure higher survival rates, including correct fighting techniques and the handling and reviving of fish. Below: Giant trevally abound throughout the shallows of the Bazaruto Archipelago. While this angler caught his breath and posed with his GT before its release, Capt Rato threw out the popper and immediately hooked another! PROTECTING THE RESOURCE Early this millennium the local resorts along with the parks board and the government military authorities came together with a very proactive stance against any commercial fishing in the archipelago. After the military took some very drastic measures in 2003 not a single purse seiner, longliner or any other commercial or industrial vessel was seen operating within the archipelago s waters for more than a decade. Although a few small commercial trolling vessels do now operate in the area, they are highly restricted to fishing way offshore. All gamefishing charter operations, most tournaments and private visiting boats have a full release policy. The very few marlin weighed each year are predominantly because they could not be revived and released alive. Various efforts are being introduced to ensure mortality rates are considerably reduced in the future, including the use of circle hooks and training local crews in correct fighting techniques and the handling, tagging and reviving of fish. Most marlin are released with tags either from the African Billfish Foundation or the Oceanographic Research Institute of Durban. A very interesting and puzzling fact is that nowhere else on Africa s east coast or anywhere in the Indian Ocean for that matter is there such a regular abundance of large black marlin. At present, no-one knows exactly where these huge females go when they depart Bazaruto, so efforts are being made to tag some with satellite tags in the near future. FACT BOX BAZARUTO ARCHIPELAGO TRAVELLING DETAILS The islands of Bazaruto Archipelago and Vilankulos on the mainland are not only a destination for serious anglers, they are great for family holidays as well. All resorts are family orientated, with great accommodation, kids clubs and a kaleidoscope of activities. South Africa s best game reserves are within a two-hour flight from the archipelago. HOW TO GET THERE The best option is to fly directly to Johannesburg where LAM and AirLink offer two-hour daily flights to Vilankulos. Transfers to accommodation in the islands are by boat or a 10-minute flight. HEALTH & VACCINATIONS Although malaria is very rare on the islands, Mozambique is a risk area and it is recommended that travellers take precautions. If entering Mozambique from any of the 43 countries where yellow fever is known to exist you must present a valid certification of vaccination. FURTHER INFORMATION For a list of resorts, lodges and hotels in the archipelago and mainland, as well as charterboat options and any other information, please Capt Duarte Moreira Rato at dudas7mares@gmail.com Visitors are always amazed that most of the big blacks are found right on the reef s edge in depths of 45 to 120 metres. bluewatermag.com.au 53