IGFA Briefs
The following are excerpts from "International Angler", a bimonthly publication printed by the International Game Fish Association.
Conservation Notes
IGFA Calling all Members: Help needed for "Marlin off the Menu Campaign"
No doubt you've seen it before in grocery stores or perhaps in your favorite restaurant: marlin and sailfish for sale. Yep, I'm speaking of the very same fish that recreational anglers throughout the world revere and, for the most part, release. Sadly, however, billfish (i.e., marlin, sailfish, and spearfish) are harvested, exported and imported worldwide. Swordfish are not technically billfish and are thus treated separately in fisheries assessments. In some areas, billfish caught by small-scale artisan fishers provide sustenance to the local populace, while in other places billfish are a niche seafood product that is marketed to high-end restaurants and grocery stores.
Until recently, no one really knew the extent of the international billfish market. Sure, data was out there and people speculated about who was catching or exporting the most. However, there was no single reference, to the best of our knowledge, that compiled the available data and provided a picture of what the international billfish market looked like.
In case you haven't heard, many of our billfish stocks are ailing and we believed that getting a clear picture of billfish harvest and trade was needed. To accomplish this, IGFA contracted Gentner Consulting Group to develop a report on the current state of international billfish markets. What we found may surprise you; it did us. To read more about it, reference pages 86-92 in the 2008 World Record Game Fishes book*. In the meantime please take note next time you are in the grocery store in the seafood section. Let us know if you find marlin, sailfish, or spearfish on the menu.
We want to know about it! Contact IGFA Conservation Director Jason Schratwieser at jschwatwieser@igfa.org or call 954-924-4320.
* Here is some data from the article referenced above –
Top Exporters of Billfish Products, Worldwide, Ranked by Average Quantity Exported (mt) in the FAO Data During 2001-2005 $12,652,600
Top Ten Importers of Billfish Products Worldwide, Ranked by Average Quantity Imported (mt) in the FAO Data from 2001-2005
$535,624
95
$98,998
$57,453
$58,104
$69,304
In Memorium
Hall of Famer George Parker Passes Away
Capt. George Stevens Parker passed away on April 4, 2008 at his residence "Bali Hai" in Honolualoa, Hawaii, on the slopes above Kona. Born July 10, 1911 in San Diego, California, Capt. Parker attended Point Loma High and completed two years at Stanford University before returning home to help with the family business.
As a young man, while working as a lifeguard on Del Mar Beach in San Diego, Parker is credited with saving the life of a young Ted Naftzger, who would later become an IGFA Trustee and would fish with Capt. Parker off the Kona coast. Parker also was a member of the San Diego Athletic Swimming Club, where he swam with such notables as Buster Crabbe and Art Linkletter.
In 1934, Capt. Parker headed for Honolulu after hearing about the clear blue sea, gentle trade winds, white sandy beaches, coconut palms and warm Hawaiian people. His love of the ocean led to his acquisition of a 55’ Haole Sampan, the Mona H, and his relocation to Kona, where his sport fishing legacy began.
In 1954, Parker caught the first documented Pacific Blue Marlin Grander, a fish weighing 1,002 lb. He was instrumental in the creation of Kona’s Honokohou Boat Harbor, completed in 1970. Parker started tournament fishing in the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT) in 1960, the second year of the world-famous event, and participated for 36 years until retiring from fishing at the age of 85.
Capt. George Parker was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame in 2005. Throughout his life a strong inner power guided him in his endeavors and decisions, and he will be sorely missed by legions of anglers and friends around the world. The family has requested that donations be made to the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament, the International Game Fish Association, or the Hospice of Kona.
Did You Know?
- Europe has 25 million recreational anglers that spend an estimated 25 billion Euros each year.
- New Zealand anglers spend an average of $900 per year
- Australian anglers spend an average of $100 per year
- Nearly 40 million Americans fish. That's more than the number of people that play golf or tennis combined.
- Recreational fishing in the US supports more than one million jobs.
- Recreational fishing in the US supports more than $45 billion in annual retail sales.
- The total economic output of recreational fishing in the US is over $125 billion annually.
- US anglers and boaters spend over $600 million annually on excise taxes that go towards fisheries conservation and enhancement.
- US anglers directly invest $1.2 billion annually to preserve, protect and enhance the sport of recreational fishing.
For more information about the IGFA contact them at: HQ@igfa.org or at www.igfa.org.
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