Balboa, USA 2016 Deployments

Transcription

1 The 35 th Annual Master Angler Billfish Tournament (MABT) kicked off on September 16, 2016 in Balboa, California where the IGFA Great Marlin Race (IGMR) was in attendance for a third year of striped marlin satellite tagging. On September 30, 2016 Hooked Captain Geoff Hersch deployed the first tag of the race on an estimated 36 kg (80 lb) striped marlin after a 17-minute bout with angler Jeff Acampora. The effort was collaborative with generous sponsorship from Jeffrey Tom, David Peter, Greg Zucchero, Chris Bailey, Craig Cleaver, John Tully, Dan Gorman, Peter Nannis, David Guyot, and Tucker Guyot. These sponsors, along with Captain Geoff Hersch and members of the Dana Angling Club have actively participated in the MABT IGMR since its inception in It wasn t until November 4, 2016 that the second tag of the race was deployed for the Tuna Club of Avalon. Jason Blower placed the tag on an estimated 102 kg (225 lb) striped marlin that was reeled in by Paul Hoofe while fishing aboard Pacific Pioneer with Captain Kyle Dickerson. The tag was generously sponsored by the Tuna Club Foundation, who has sponsored a tag every year since the first MABT IGMR in Balboa, USA 2016 Deployments Tag Boat Fish Species Tagged Reported Days at Large Distance (nm) Est. Wt. (lbs) Est. Wt. (kg) Angler Tagger 16P1157 Hooked 1 Striped Marlin 9/30/2016 5/4/ , Jeff Acampora Geoff Hersch 16P1159 Pacific Pioneer 2 Striped Marlin 11/4/2016 7/18/ Paul Hoofe Jason Blower

2 On May 4, 2017, 216 days after it was deployed, the tag on Fish 1 (Tag 16P1157) popped up 1,397 nautical miles (nm) away to take first place in the 2016 IGMR MABT! After deployment, Fish 1 traveled south for about one month to the southern tip of the Baja peninsula. Then, the striped marlin made a couple of loops in that area for another month before heading southwest into the Pacific. After traveling to about 3 degrees north of the equator, the fish then turned northwest and swam in that direction until the tag popped off. As evident by the track, we estimate the marlin swam a total distance of 5,560 nm*! During the duration of the deployment, the fish primarily stayed above the 15 C (59 F) thermocline, although occasional dives into colder water did occur. The coldest water temperature the striped marlin experienced during the deployment was 9.4 C (49 F) which occurred during the deepest dive of the deployment to a

3 depth of 344 m (1,128 ft), just prior to the tag popping up. Approximately 50% of the time, the fish was within 5 m (16 ft) of the surface, but the majority of dives were between m ( ft). Almost 60% of the time, the fish was in water temperatures 24 C (75 F) or warmer, which corresponds with the amount of time it spent near the surface, with proportionally smaller amounts of time in colder waters during dives. Congratulations to Team Hooked and Dana Angling Club for taking first place in the event! The tag on Fish 2 (Tag 16P1159) popped off on July 18, 2017, 92 nm miles away from the deployment location after an impressive 256 days at large. After deployment, Fish 2 initially followed a similar path as Fish 1, moving south along the coast to the southern tip of Baja peninsula. Similar to Fish 1, Fish 2 also spent about a month in that area although remained closer to the coast. Then, the tracks of these two fish deviated. Whereas Fish 1 moved southwest into open-ocean, Fish 2 turned northwest and remained relatively near the coast before the tag popped off just north of the initial tagging location. Although the tag popped up just 92 nm away from where it was deployed, the track shows us that the fish really swam an estimated total distance of 2,059 nm* - highlighting the importance of satellite tagging these migratory animals as opposed to traditional tags. Fish 2 also generally followed the 15 C (59 F) thermocline, although spent relatively more time diving below the thermocline compared to Fish 1. Towards the end of the deployment, in June 2017, Fish 2 made its deepest dive = to an incredible depth of 600 m (1,968 ft) where it experienced the coldest water temperature of the entire track (5.8 C, 42 F)! The marlin spent approximately 65% of its time within 5 m (16 ft) of the surface with the majority of dives ranging between m ( ft). Fish 2 spent the largest percentage of time in waters ranging between C (61 64 F) which corresponds to the time it spent swimming back north offshore, and the marlin experienced C (64 79 F) temperatures while it was in more coastal waters. Since the inaugural MABT IGMR event in 2014, 16 striped marlin have been satellite tagged off the coast of California. Data received from these tags have demonstrated that these fish follow similar patterns from year to year, with the majority of marlin swimming south before moving offshore into the Pacific. The tags deployed in this event are both notable compared to previous years. While Fish 1 followed this general trend, it swam significantly more south than any fish in previous years, before turning and swimming back north. Equatorial water temperatures have been cooling in the Pacific and this may have facilitated the larger southern movement by this marlin. Unlike Fish 1 and fish tagged in previous years, Fish 2 did not move out into the Pacific, but turned north back toward the location where it was initially tagged. It will be interesting to see if the fish tagged during and the weeks following the 2017 MABT will demonstrate these patterns.

4 Our sincerest thanks and gratitude goes out to the many MABT tag sponsors who help make striped marlin satellite-tagging possible and who helped make this event a success for the third year in a row. Your collective support allows this research program to grow and produce larger datasets on these majestic marlin. It is only through increased understanding of these animals that we can begin to conserve their populations and ensure their abundances for future generations of fishing.

5 Tag 16P1157 Fish 1 Tag number: 16P1157 Sponsors: Jeff Tom, David Peter, Greg Zucchero, Chris Bailey, Craig Cleaver, John Tully, Dan Gorman, Peter Nannis, David Guyot, and Tucker Guyot Angler: Jeff Acampora Tagger: Geoff Hersch Boat: Hooked Species: Striped Marlin Estimated weight: 36 kg Deployed: 9/30/2016 Reported: 5/4/2017 Days at large: 216 Distance traveled: 1,397 nm Maximum depth: 344 m Minimum temp: 9.4 C Maximum temp: 29 C Temperature at Depth

6 Tag 16P1159 Fish 2 Tag number: 16P1159 Sponsor: Tuna Club Foundation Angler: Paul Hoofe Tagger: Jason Blower Boat: Pacific Pioneer Species: Striped Marlin Estimated weight: 102 kg Deployed: 11/4/2016 Reported: 7/18/2017 Days at large: 256 Distance traveled: 92 nm Maximum depth: 600 m Minimum temp: 5.8 C Maximum temp: 29.4 C Temperature at Depth