The blue marlin that travelled the furthest as part of the IGFA’s Great Marlin Race covered an impressive straight-line distance of 4,149 nautical miles from the United States’ east coast to waters off Brazil.

The victorious tag was deployed during the 2022 Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament by tag sponsors Scott and Ven Poole aboard Waste Knot captained by Michael Tickle. This incredible journey ranks as the fifth longest in the program’s history and the third longest for a blue marlin, with a total estimated track of 7,819NM.

The runner-up, a blue marlin tagged aboard Stream Weaver by Bobby Schlegel at the same event was sponsored by New Zealand’s Bonze Lures. It covered a straight distance of 2,543NM, with an estimated total track of 3,689NM.

The third place was claimed by a striped marlin tagged off New Zealand, sponsored and deployed by the crew of Trident, which travelled 1,545NM in just 85 days. The International Game Fish Association (IGFA), a global leader in game fish conservation, hosts the IGFA Great Marlin Race which takes place from October 1 – September 30 annually. It is an unprecedented billfish research and conservation initiative that allows recreational anglers, armed with cutting-edge satellite tag technology, to become citizen scientists and deploy tags on the billfish they catch. A collaboration between the IGFA and the lab of Dr Barbara Block at Stanford University, the tags transmit invaluable information to researchers who analyse and disseminate the data, leading to a greater understanding of these incredible animals and how to better manage them.

Since its launch in 2011, the IGFA Great Marlin Race has fundamentally changed the way that scientists, anglers, and policymakers understand billfish migration patterns and habitat utilisation, helping secure the future of these dynamic species for generations to come. To date, the IGFA Great Marlin Race has deployed nearly 600 satellite tags on billfish around the world, making it the largest program of its kind.

This year, a total of 59 satellite tags were deployed across five billfish species during 23 global tagging events. While some tags are set to provide data for the 2023-2024 race, 29 tags surfaced during this year’s race, revealing fascinating migration patterns and distances. These remarkable distances are not just numbers but represent the critical data contributing to our understanding of billfish behaviour, life history, and migratory patterns, integral to their conservation and the health of our oceans.

This year’s IGFA Great Marlin Race has shed light on unprecedented migratory patterns, especially the southern journey of the winning blue marlin, the first of its kind recorded by the research program. These insights are crucial for the development of effective conservation strategies, ensuring these species thrive for future generations.

The IGFA Great Marlin Race, proudly presented by Costa Sunglasses, is made possible through the generous support of sponsors AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops, and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund. For more information on the IGFA Great Marlin Race or to participate in future events, please visit www. igfa.org/the-great-marlin-race.