Marlin massacre outrage!

Massive hauls of striped marlin, extracted by coastal longliners off southern New South Wales over two weeks in late February, have outraged anglers and reignited calls for authorities to intervene.

Reports of single longliners taking at least 150 marlin in one day have spurred BlueWater readers into action, with several contacting members of parliament, as well as the BlueWater office, in fear and disgust at what such excessive commercial exploitation of the species will mean for its future.

It's difficult to ascertain accurate numbers of fish taken in this period because commercial operators are reluctant to provide definite figures, but several reliable sources indicate numbers of between 500 and 1000 striped marlin over the two weeks.

Edwin Martin, in a letter to BlueWater, highlighted the potential for sectors of Australian sportsfishing to collapse, in a similar way to numerous fisheries in the US and Mexico, if commercial interests are not curbed.

Martin, who in the 1970s and 80s served as chairman of the Billfish Advisory Panel to the US Fisheries Management Council, as well on the board of several national marine conservation organisations, was privy to many reports on overfishing in these areas.

"The same pattern was followed in many cases," he wrote. "As the targeted species became scarce, more efficient gear was deployed. For example, in the edible shark fishery, more and more marlin and swordfish were taken as an 'incidental catch'. Having received permits from the fisheries managers to take the 'incidental catch', the commercials soon were targeting marlin and swordfish.

"On the east and west coasts of the US and Mexico, drastic measures were taken to save marlin and swordfish from virtual annihilation.

"Economic study after study showed the value of sportsfishing and cash flow through the local economies far exceeded the contribution of the commercial catch.

"When fishing on charters in Bermagui (New South Wales), I have seen longlines set on the edge of the continental shelf during marlin season, which is a known swim way for marlin."

In a letter to the New South Wales and federal governments, as well as BlueWater, David Jenkins details meeting a crew from a longliner near Narooma during a fishing trip, who told him they had caught 57 marlin (about 4.5 tonnes), while another boat had caught 18. These fish, he wrote, were caught on the first drop on the continental shelf.

"He (the crew) indicated that some fish were to be exported and they were able to get up to $7 a kilogram, while the rest only achieved around $3 to $4 per kilogram."

He wrote that the same crew member also told him a boat off Bermagui had caught 160 marlin overnight.

"The pathetic side of this destruction is that ... the Bermagui boat only got around $1.20 per kilogram and we were later informed by a local charter skipper that there were already marlin being dumped at the local tip due to low prices and market saturation.

"How can the state and federal governments allow the commercial operators to kill large numbers of fish that are not then used for consumption? In an era where fish stocks are under tremendous pressure, how is this practical, sustainable and justifiable? Also, do the governments actually monitor what fish are dumped from these operators or, in fact, commercial markets? If not, then why not?"

Some of the recommendations both Martin and Jenkins make include: