Blue Marlin Travels 2,225 nautical miles!
Posted October 28th, 2009 by RandyKochevarFrom July 20-24, 2009, TOPP researchers led the "Great Marlin Race" as part of the 50th Anniversary celebration for the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament. A total of seven marlin were tagged with 180-day Pop-up Satellite Tags, and the fish whose tag pops off the furthest from Kona wins. After 96 days, one of the marlin tags popped off southeast of the Marquesas Islands -- 2,225 nautical miles from where it was initially tagged! See the details at www.greatmarlinrace.org.
After such an incredible journey we are excited to see the tracking and behavioral data, which are still being transmitted from the tag -- a process that will go on for another week. Given that this tag came off early, we are even more excited to see where the rest of the tags wind up! With five fish still in the race, and three more tags deployed in the week after the tournament, it should be an exciting few months ahead as the remaining tags pop up and report in!
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