Safe Billfish Handling Techniques

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Taken from Fishing World e-mail newsletter

27 Nov 2014

WITH summer almost upon us the thoughts of many bluewater anglers will turn to billfish. So having successfully caught a marlin or sail, do you know the safest way to handle it so it can be released in the best possible condition?

While most conservation minded game fishers these days tend to catch & release marlin and sailfish, ensuring this is done the right way will go along way to ensure released fish have the best possible chance of survival.

The US-based Billfish Foundation (TBF) http://www.billfish.org/ is an organistaion recognised worldwide for its efforts in billfish conservation. TBF recently published an article on proper billfish handling techniques thatFisho thought might prove valuable to our readers.

In part, the article states that removing a billfish from the water causes unnecessary harm to the fish ... no doubt, something we need to think seriously about when struggling to pull aboard a billfish for a "grip and grin" photo!

Of note is that in the Atlantic it is actually illegal to remove any highly migratory fish from the water that is not harvested.

In TBF's article Safe Handling Practices there are some great tips on how to ensure you can make safe and healthy billfish releases and still get great photos of your catch.

Great advice for all bluewater fishers to take note of before the busy summer marlin season kicks off!

Check out the article at: http://www.billfish.org/news/keep-em-water-safe-handling-tips/