With assistance from the legendary Captain Skip Smith on his boat The Hooker, the team raised 20 marlin, catching and releasing 14, all between approximately 100-300 lbs. Long time friend and restaurant owner Andi Marcher joined the team to assist in the catching effort – a much appreciated help given that there were times two to three marlin were hooked at the same time! Cinematographer George Schellenger documented it all, capturing the strikes, incredible jumps and even more eye catching stripes and colour changes as if the fish were celebrating the 4th July. The catching effort took place around fishing aggregating devices (FADs); a useful tool for research as they help cut down the amount of time looking for billfish. GHRI and GHOF hope to learn more about the migratory behavior of blue marlin in the eastern tropical Pacific in relation to FADs. This will be important information for billfish ecology and long-term species management.
