*The total estimated distance is based on the length of a “best … Kona, USA IGMR Race... · of tag pop-up determined by Argos satellites) to establish IGMR results and winners

*The total estimated distance is based on the length of a “best-guess” track calculated using light and sea surface temperature measurements from the tag and a complex mathematical algorithm. Since each location along the track potentially has significant error associated with it, the IGMR instead uses the reliable and more precise linear distance (the point of tag deployment determined by GPS to the point of tag pop-up determined by Argos satellites) to establish IGMR results and winners

August 11, 2015 marked the second day of fishing in the 56th Annual Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT) and the seventh year for the Great Marlin Race. In the morning, angler Masao Ikegami of Kona Game Fishing Club Osaka fought an estimated 68 kg (150 lb) blue for about ten minutes aboard Anxious with Captain Neal Isaacs. Soon after, tagger and sponsor Keiji Matsuba released the healthy fish with the first satellite tag of the race.

Several minutes later, angler and tag sponsor Cherekee Hill quickly fought an estimated 63 kg (140 lb) beautiful blue marlin which Tim Reed satellite tagged for Team Game Fishing Club of South Australia #2. Northern Lights Captain Kevin Nakamaru described the fish as being "very healthy" when it was released with the second satellite tag of the race.

One hour later, the third satellite tag of the race was deployed on an estimated 64 kg (141 lb) blue marlin by Takeo "Uki" Izawa after a quick fight with angler and sponsor Masaharu Matushita while fishing aboard Ihui Nui with Captain McGrew Rice and Deckhand Carlton Arai. Not only did Masaharu solely sponsor a satellite tag for this year's HIBT, but he also fully sponsored a tag in the 2012 HIBT and cosponsored a tag in the 2013 HIBT - Thank you Masaharu for your support.

Two days later, on August 13, 2015, the second satellite tag sponsored by Bob and Cherekee Hill for Team Game Fishing Club of South Australia #2 was deployed by Jay Tabil on an estimated 73 kg (160 lb) blue marlin caught by Tim Reed while fishing aboard Lady Dee with Captain Bill "BC" Crawford and Deckhand RJ Paugherty.

The following morning of the final day of fishing on August 14, 2015, veteran IGMR sponsors and IGFA Representatives Rolf and Ralph Czabayski caught and tagged a large 102 kg (225 lb) blue while fishing with High Flier Captain Guy Terwiliger. The father and son duo of Team


Game Fishing Club of South Australia described the fish as " a little wild, but then calm" and eventually released it "in excellent condition" with the fifth tag in the race.

Hours later while fishing with Captain Kenny Llanes on Vixen, IGFA Representative Sally Kurz hooked the second largest blue in the race-estimated at 127 kg (280 lb), and after a half-hour fight, Ricky Perkins leadered the marlin alongside the boat where IGFA Representative Bob Kurz tagged it with the sixth satellite tag of the race. The tag was cosponsored by IGFA Represenatives Bob & Sally Kurz, Robert Chavers, Robert Dudley, and Chuck Salinger for Laguna Niguel Billfish Club Teams 1 & 2. This is their third year of sponsorship and we are grateful for their support.

Days after the HIBT concluded and the 2015 Tag and Release Tournament (TART) began on August 18, 2015, Ihui Nui Captain McGrew Rice took aboard a tag that was sponsored for but never deployed in the 2014 TART. The seventh tag of the race, sponsored by Ken Corday, was deployed by Kaulike Rice on an estimated 79 kg (175 lb) blue marlin after a quick fight with Rick Fitts.

The following afternoon on August 19, 2015, the eighth tag of the race was deployed on an estimated 79 kg (175 lb) blue by Butch Chee after an eight minute bout with Dr. Brent Nelson while fishing with Humdinger's Jeff Fay. The following morning, Mike Dakil tagged an estimated 68 kg (150 lb) blue caught by Don Brandt while fishing aboard Kona Blue with Captain Bill "BC" Crawford. According to the data sheet, the fish was gently eased up to the boat, and was released quickly with the ninth satellite tag of the race. Both of these tags were generously sponsored by the Greenberg Family/Joshua Tree Foundation.

On September 13, 2015, after a ten minute fight from angler Stephen Circco, the tenth and final tag of the 2015 HIBT IGMR was deployed on the largest blue in the race: an estimated 170 kg (375 lb) marlin. Northern Lights Captain Kevin Nakamaru tagged the fish on behalf of IGFA Representative, veteran sponsor, and 2013-2014 IGMR Winner Marty Firestein of Laguna Niguel Billfish Club Team 3. Marty and son Mitch Firestein as well as Ralph Czabayski's company Star Electrical Pty Ltd. have independently sponsored satellite tags every year since the first HIBT IGMR in 2012. We at IGFA and Stanford, on behalf of the entire recreational fishing community, are so thankful for their unwavering support of billfish conservation efforts.


Kona, USA 2015 Deployments

Tag Boat Fish Species Tagged Reported Days at Large

Distance (nm)

Est. Wt. (lbs)

Est. Wt. (kg) Angler Tagger

14P0759 Anxious 1 Blue marlin 8/11/2015 2/3/2016 176 1492 150 68 Masad

Ikegami Keiji

Matsuba

14P0296 Northern Lights 2 2 Blue

marlin 8/11/2015 4/7/2016 240 1636 140 63 Cherekee Hill Tim Reed

14P0755 Ihu Nui 2 3 Blue marlin 8/11/2015 2/14/2016 187 1073 141 64 Masaharu

Matsushita Takeo

14P0754 Lady Dee 4 Blue marlin 8/13/2015 4/9/2016 240 1792 160 73 Tim Reed Jay Tabil

14P0763 High Flier 5 Blue marlin 8/14/2015 1/10/2016 149 756 225 102 Ralph

Czabayski Rolf

Czabayski

14P0761 Vixen 6 Blue marlin 8/14/2015 4/11/2016 241 2933 280 127 Sally Kurz Bob Kurz

14P0757 Ihu Nui 7 Blue marlin 8/18/2015 4/15/2016 241 362 175 79 Rick Fitts Kaulike

Rice

14P0764 Humdinger 8 Blue marlin 8/19/2015 Did Not

Report 175 79 Dr. Brent Nelson Butch Chee

14P0760 Kona Blue 9 Blue marlin 8/20/2015 1/23/2016 156 1476 150 68 Don Brandt Mike Dakil

14P0758 Northern Lights 10 Blue

marlin 9/13/2015 1/29/2016 138 2668 375 170 Stephen Circco

Kevin Nakamaru


The tag on Fish 5 Team Game Fishing Club of South Australia (Tag 14P0763) was the first to surface on January 10, 2016, 149 days after it was deployed to take eighth place in the race. This fish was recaptured by a longline fisherman 756 nm southwest of Hawaii in the middle of a series of seamounts. Following tag deployment, Fish 5 (Tag 14P0763) initially went northeast before circling back and passing through the Kaiwi Channel, slowly swimming southeast towards the recapture point for an estimated total distance of 2,301 nm*. Although there were frequent dives into colder water throughout the deployment, Fish 5’s (Tag 14P0763) diving patterns were consistent with the the 20°C thermocline during the first half of the deployment, and then shifted with the 15°C thermocline during the second half of the deployment. About midway through the deployment, Fish 5 (Tag 14P0763) made its deepest dive to a depth of 304 m (997 ft) where it experienced a water temperature of 9.6°C (49°F). However, for the majority


of the time, the fish remained above 100 m (328 ft) where it experienced temperatures above 22°C (72°F).

The second tag to surface occurred on January 23, 2016, after a 156-day deployment on Fish 9 Team Greenberg Family Family/Joshua Tree Foundation (Tag 14P0760). The tag popped off at a linear distance of 1,476 nm southeast of the tagging location, 3° latitude north of the equator, and secured the sixth place position in the race. During the deployment, Fish 9 (Tag 14P0760) swam south, in a fairly straight line, until it reached the equator where it began to swim in a zig-zag pattern before the tag popped up- a total distance we estimate to be 2,970 nm*! Not unlike Fish 5 (Tag 14P0763), Fish 9 (Tag 14P0760) also primarily followed the 15°C thermocline, with occasional dives into colder waters. The majority of the time, Fish 9 (Tag 14P0760) was above 200 m (656 ft) and experienced water temperatures between 28 - 30°C (82 - 86°F). Fish 9 (Tag 14P0760)’s deepest dive occurred in late December when it dove to a depth of 424 m (1,391 ft) where the water temperature was 9.4°C (49°F).

Although the tag on Fish 10 Team Laguna Niguel Billfish Club Team 3 (Tag 14P0758) was the third to surface on January 29, 2016, just 138 days after it was deployed, Fish 10 took 2nd place in the race! Throughout the deployment, the blue marlin primarily swam east-southeast before the tag popped off east of Clipperton Island, 2,668 nm from where it was deployed off the coast of Kona. This directed swimming is evident by the only slightly longer total estimated distance of 3,104 nm*. Diving depths for Fish 10 (Tag 14P0758) were also generally above the 15°C thermocline with just occasional dives into colder waters. Fish 10 (Tag 14P0758) made its deepest dive just over a month into the deployment to a depth of 424 m (1,391 ft) where the water temperature was a cold 8°C (46°F). However, for the majority of the time, Fish 10 (Tag 14P0758) was above 150 m (492 ft) in water temperatures between 24 - 30°C (75 - 86°F). Congratulations to Team Laguna Niguel Billfish Club Team 3 for taking second place in the race!

The next tag surfaced on February 3, 2016 after recording data for 176 days on Fish 1 Team Kona Game Fishing Club Osaka (Tag 14P0759). The tag popped off 1,492 nm south of the tagging location, 4° latitude south of the equator, to earn fifth place in the race. Interestingly, Fish 1 (Tag 14P0759) was the only fish in the 2015 HIBT IGMR to cross the equator. The blue headed southeast after it was tagged and then traveled southwest for a total estimated distance of 2,445 nm*. Similar to the other fish, the diving patterns of Fish 1 (Tag 14P0759) followed the 15°C thermocline with occasional dives into colder waters. The data showed that surface water temperatures were especially warm in October and so the thermocline was pushed deeper. Due to


these warm surface temperatures, the blue spent over 70% of its time in water temperatures above 28°C (82°F) in water depths above 200 m (656 ft). The deepest dive the marlin took occurred right before the tag popped up and was to a depth of 480 m (1,575 ft) where the water temperature was 8.8°C (48°F).

The tag on Fish 3 Team Kona Game Fishing Club Taiyo (Tag 14P0755) was the fifth tag to surface on February 14, 2016, 187 days after deployment. The tag popped off 1,073 nm southwest of the tagging location, just 2° latitude north of the equator, to take seventh place in the race. After tagging, the fish initially swam north, passing Kahoʻolawe and Lanaʻi, before moving southwest. After making a brief pass by Dutton Seamount, Fish 3 continued southwest towards the same seamounts where Fish 5 (Tag 14P0763) was captured by a longliner. The blue then traveled south where it made two passes north of the equator before the tag popped off, traveling a total estimated distance of 3,373 nm*. The diving patterns exhibited by Fish 1 (Tag 14P0755) followed the 20°C thermocline with occasional dives to colder waters. The marlin’s deepest dive occurred in mid-January at a depth of 432 m (1,417 ft) where the water temperature was 10.2°C (50°F). The majority of the time the fish was above 100 m (328 ft) in water temperatures above 26°C (79°F).

The tag on Fish 2 Team Game Fishing Club of South Australia #2 (Tag 14P0296) was the next tag to surface on April 7, 2016 after reaching the full and exact programmed deployment period of 240 days! The tag popped off 1,636 nm southeast of the tagging location, earning fourth place in the race, and swam a distance we estimate to be 3,982 nm*. The diving patterns exhibited by this fish followed the 15°C thermocline, which was fairly shallow during the course of the track. This shallow thermocline is evident in the depth record, where this fish spent the majority of its time above 100 m (328 ft) in water temperatures above 24°C (75°F). The blue took its deepest dive, shortly after it was tagged, to a depth of 544 m (1,785 ft) where the water temperature was a frigid 6.6°C (44°C).

The next tag to report, which happened to be the other tag sponsored by Team Game Fishing Club of South Australia #2, also surfaced after the full deployment period of 240 days! On April 9, 2016, the tag popped off Fish 4 Team Game Fishing Club of South Australia #2 (Tag 14P0754) to secure third place in the race! The tag popped off at a linear distance of 1,792 nm, but the marlin swam southeast of the tagging location, close to the popup locations of Fish 2 (Tag 14P0296) and Fish 9 (Tag 14P0760)- a total distance we estimate to be4,167 nm*. Similar to most of the other marlin tagged in the race, the diving patterns of this fish followed the 15°C thermocline. However, the data showed that Fish 4 (Tag 14P0754) had a higher frequency of


dives into colder waters below the thermocline than the others. This greater tolerance for colder waters is seen in the higher proportion of time this fish spent in waters below 15°C. Although the majority of time is spent above 150 m (492 ft), there is also a slightly greater proportion of time spent between 200 – 250 m (656 – 820 ft). The blue marlin’s deepest dive was to 448 m (1,470 ft) in mid-deployment in early January, where the water temperature was 9.2°C (49°F). Congratulations to Team Game Fishing Club of South Australia #2 for a second successful, full deployment and third place in the race!

Just when we thought the father-son duo Mitch and Marty Firestein (Team Laguna Niguel Billfish Club Team 3) had another HIBT IGMR in the bag, the tag on Fish 6 Team Laguna Niguel Billfish Club Teams 1 & 2 (Tag 14P0761) popped up to take the lead and win the IGMR by 265 nm! Congratulations to tag sponsors Bob & Sally Kurz, Robert Chavers, Robert Dudley, and Chuck Salinger for their winning marlin! The tag popped up on April 11, 2016, 1 day after the full scheduled deployment period of 240 days, having traveled a linear distance of 2,933 nm and an estimated total distance of 4,514 nm*. Fish 6 (Tag 14P0761) initially headed in a similar direction as Fish 2 (Tag 14P0296), Fish 4 (Tag 14P0754) and Fish 10 (Tag 14P0758), but then diverted northeast to pass Clipperton Island before the tag popped up 240 nm off the coast of Mexico. The blue also followed a diving pattern similar to Fish 4 (Tag 14P0754) with frequent dives below the 15°C thermocline into colder waters. Although the majority of time was spent above 100 m (328 ft) in water temperatures above 26°C (79°F), a greater proportion of time was spent in colder waters compared to the other fish. The marlin’s deepest dive was to 320 m (1,050 ft), towards the end of the deployment, where the water temperature was 9.8°C (50°F).

The final tag that reported popped off of Fish 7 Team Corday Productions (Tag 14P0757) on April 15, 2016 after the full deployment period of 241 days. The tag popped up 362 nm from the tagging location to take ninth place in the race, but as evident in the track, the blue actually swam a much farther distance of 2, 838 nm*. Fish 7 (Tag 14P0757) never traveled far from the Hawaiian archipelago and interestingly was the only marlin in the race to travel north of Kauaʻi. Similar to Fish 3 (Tag 14P0755), Fish 7’s diving patterns more closely followed the 20°C thermocline, although there was a shift towards the 15°C thermocline near the midpoint of the deployment. The majority of the blue’s time was spent in depths above 100 m (328 ft) with nearly 80% of the time in water temperatures between 24 - 28°C (75 - 82°F). Fish 7 made its deepest dive near the end of the deployment, in April, to a depth of 544 m (1,785 ft) where it experienced cold 7.2°C (45°F) water.


Although ten tags were deployed during the Kona, USA 2015 IGMR, nine reported and covered incredible ground. Unfortunately, Fish 8 (Tag 14P0764), the first of two tags generously sponsored by the Greenberg Family/Joshua Tree Foundation, was due up on April 15, 2016 and did not report. While we make every effort to get data from every tag deployed (and this year we had a reporting rate of 90%), these occurrences are an inevitable risk with any wildlife tagging program. The good news is that four of the nine reported tags completed the full deployment duration of 240 days, which helps us learn more than ever before about these amazing fish.

During the 2015 HIBT IGMR, a strong El Nino developed in the Pacific Ocean which peaked in the winter of 2015, producing above average surface temperatures along the equator. Data from marlin tagged in previous HIBT IGMR events have shown that these fish often travel southeast, and several have ventured into the southern hemisphere. An exception to this trend occurred in 2010 when a cold tongue of water extended across the equator from an El Nina event, acting as a barrier to cross-equatorial movements. In 2014, none of the tagged marlin crossed the equator, and although there was no cold water tongue present, there were unusually warm waters in the North Pacific, and marlin traveled farther north than previously observed. Results from this year’s event followed the common trend of southeast movements, but only one marlin crossed the equator. This is likely due to the associated El Nino event, increasing warm, usable habitat in the northern hemisphere. As the Pacific Ocean continues to warm, increased use of the northern hemisphere could become the norm, with less need to cross the equator in search of suitable habitat. The ongoing collection of movement data produced by the HIBT IGMR is a rare an invaluable long-term dataset which helps shed light on these changes in behavior. The continued collection of this data will help us understand how movement behavior changes in a warming world.

We are very excited to add data from Pacific blue marlin to the IGMR database and hope to increase this data set in the future. Our thanks and gratitude goes out to the tag sponsors, captains, anglers, crew, and participants in the HIBT IGMR. These datasets help us to learn about billfish behavior in an effort to increase their conservation and protect the sport we love for future generations of fishing!

Tag 14P0759Fish 1

Tag number: 14P0759 Sponsor: Keiji Matsuba Angler: Masad Ikegami Tagger: Keiji Matsuba Boat: Anxious

Species: Blue Marlin Estimated weight: 68 kg Deployed: 8/11/2015 Reported: 2/3/2016 Days at large: 176 Distance traveled: 1,492

nm Maximum depth: 480 m Minimum temp: 8.8°C Maximum temp: 31.6°C

Temperature at Depth

Tag 14P0296Fish 2

Tag number: 14P0296 Sponsor: Bob & Cherekee Hill Angler: Cherekee Hill Tagger: Tim Read

Boat: Northern Lights 2 Species: Blue Marlin Estimated weight: 63 kg Deployed: 8/11/2015 Reported: 4/07/2016

Days at large: 240

Distance traveled: 1,636 nm Maximum depth: 544 m Minimum temp: 6.6°C Maximum temp: 30°C


Tag 14P0755Fish 3

Tag number: 14P0755 Sponsor: Masaharu Matsushita Angler: Masaharu Matsushita Tagger: Takeo

Boat: Ihu Nui 2

Species: Blue Marlin Estimated weight: 64 kg Deployed: 8/11/2015 Reported: 2/14/2016 Days at large: 187

Distance traveled: 1,073 nm Maximum depth: 432 m Minimum temp: 10.2°C Maximum temp: 33°C


Tag 14P0754Fish 4

Tag number: 14P0754 Sponsor: Bob and Cherekee Hill Angler: Tim Read

Tagger: Jay Tabil

Boat: Lady Dee

Species: Blue Marlin Estimated weight: 73 kg Deployed: 8/13/2015 Reported: 4/9/2016

Days at large: 240

Distance traveled: 1,792 nm Maximum depth: 448 m Minimum temp: 9.2°C Maximum temp: 31.6°C


Tag 14P0763Fish 5

Tag number: 14P0763 Sponsor: Star Electrical Pty Ltd. Angler: Ralph Czabayski Tagger: Rolf Czabayski Boat: High Flier


Days at large: 149Distance traveled: 756 nm Maximum depth: 304 m Minimum temp: 9.6°C Maximum temp: 30°C


Tag 14P0761Fish 6

Tag number: 14P0761 Sponsor: Bob & Sally Kurz, Robert Chavers, Robert Dudley, and Chuck Salinger

Angler: Sally Kurz

Tagger: Bob Kurz

Boat: Vixen


Days at large: 241

Distance traveled: 2,933 nm Maximum depth: 320 m Minimum temp: 9.8°C Maximum temp: 31.4°C


Tag 14P0757Fish 7

Tag number: 14P0757

Sponsor: Ken Corday

Angler: Rick Fitts

Tagger: Kaulike Rice

Boat: Ihu Nui

Species: Blue Marlin

Estimated weight: 79 kg

Deployed: 8/18/2015

Reported: 4/15/2016

Days at large: 241

Distance traveled: 362 nm

Maximum depth: 544 m

Minimum temp: 7.2°C

Maximum temp: 30.2°C


Tag 14P0760Fish 9

Tag number: 14P0760 Sponsor: Greenberg Family/

Joshua Tree Foundation Angler: Don Brandt Tagger: Mike Dakil

Boat: Kona Blue

Species: Blue Marlin Estimated weight: 68 kg Deployed: 08/20/2015 Reported: 01/23/2016 Days at large: 156 Distance traveled: 1,476 nm Maximum depth: 424 m Minimum temp: 9.4° C Maximum temp: 32.4° C


Tag 14P0758Fish 10

Tag number: 14P0758 Sponsor: Marty & Mitch Firestein

Angler: Stephen Circco Tagger: Kevin Nakamaru Boat: Northern Lights Species: Blue Marlin Estimated weight: 170 kg Deployed: 09/13/2015 Reported: 01/29/2016 Days at large: 138 Distance traveled: 2,668 nm Maximum depth: 424 m Minimum temp: 9.8°C Maximum temp: 29.8°C


Documents

*The total estimated distance is based on the length of a “best … Kona, USA IGMR Race... · of tag pop-up determined by Argos satellites) to establish IGMR results and winners