Western Australia is blessed with many wonderful fishing opportunities. Our 12,000km long coastline provides access to many and varied species and experiences from Bream, Flathead and Salmon in the south, to Billfish and Barramundi in the north. Every now and then, we witness a spectacular capture of a trophy fish, the type that most of us dream about and the type that thrusts WA into the global fishing spotlight.
Such a capture took place on New Year’s day this year in Exmouth when Captain Eddy Lawler of Peak Sportfishing Charters captured an Australian Record Blue Marlin. Eddy is a well-known Marlin champion. He has over 1000 marlin releases to his name, including some recaptures of his own fish. Recently Eddy and others in the Exmouth community have been contributing to Marlin research by releasing fish with satellite tags which will track their movement over a number of months, so when Eddy and his team hooked up on the big Blue, they knew they were onto a good fish.
At 494kg, it was the biggest Blue Marlin ever officially weighed in Australia to GFAA rules and the first Marlin of any species over the old 1000lb mark captured in WA. This is a fish that will cement Exmouth’s reputation as a world-class Marlin fishery.
Many coastal communities in WA thrive from fishing-related tourism, and Exmouth is no different. Many fishers throughout Australia travel to Exmouth each year to sample the world-class fishing it offers. Recently, an increasing number of international fishers have been making the journey too.
Local tackle store owner Jeni Gates reports that the number of visiting fishers from Asian countries is on the rise.
“It’s fantastic to see these fishing experiences being recognised globally as some of the best in the world.”
“We are talking to more and more international visitors, particularly from the Asian region, who are visiting specifically to go fishing.”
“Our small town needs this fishing tourism, and the recent capture of the ‘grander’ Blue Marlin will go a long way towards promoting this region as a world-class Marlin fishing destination like Hawaii or Cabo.” Jeni said.
Captures such as this can not be underestimated when it comes to promoting our fantastic state and the opportunities it offers to visitors. Recfishwest congratulates Eddy and his team and looks forward to seeing the Exmouth Marlin fishery shine in the international spotlight for years to come.
