Protesters fly over Billfish Classic to oppose fishing competition

Protesters took to the sky in Whitianga to protest the Billfish Classic competition.

A group of people pooled money and rented an aeroplane, flying over the start line of the fishing competition, marine scientist and protest spokesman Thomas Everth said.

The competition, which ran for three days from March 12 to March 15, sold out with 470 boats registered, according to Allaboutwhitanga.co.nz.

The tournament featured more than $1.7 million in prizes, including $400,000 for the heaviest billfish, a $125,000 gate prize, jackpot options up to $1.57 million and various category awards for tuna, mahimahi and kingfish, and for women and junior anglers.

Marlin generally migrated through New Zealand waters and did not spend their lifetimes here, Everth said.

“The greatest abundance is between December, January, February, and March. That’s when the peak of marlin visits happen here.”

Marlin numbers had increased around Aotearoa New Zealand because of increasing water temperatures due to climate change, Everth said.

“However, on a global scale, marlins are part of a species that is going down and down and down,” he said.

There has been a commercial moratorium on game fishing since 1987 because of concerns initiated by the bill fishing clubs about the dwindling numbers of marlin, Everth said.

Few of the marlin caught were killed, and many are tagged and put back into the water, he said. Some died from exhaustion and the aneurysms that happened in their hearts, he said.

Tournament director Tom Maxwell told Sunlive the Billfish Classic had received plenty of support from the local community.

“We have had about 5000 people on the beach supporting us,” he said.

NZ Sports Fishing spokesman Mike Plant said he was sympathetic to the protesters' cause but the well-intentioned actions were directed in the wrong place.

The sport fishing council had worked hard to prioritise the environment and rebuild the country’s billfish populations, Plant said.

Some of the 470 boats lining up at Buffalo Beach in Whitianga for the competition start.

“Arguably, New Zealand is a global leader in billfish conservation. In 1987, the Billfish Moratorium was agreed upon,” he said.

The key pillars were commercial fishing of striped, black and blue marlin, which had been banned within New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone, and tagging and releasing a minimum of 50% of all billfish caught nationwide.

“These days, roughly 70% of all recreationally caught marlin are tagged and released,” Plant said.

The sport fishing council shared the protesters' worries about overfishing, he said.

Billfish were highly migratory and travelled through the South Pacific, only spending a few months in New Zealand’s subtropical waters, he said.

“Management of the marlin fishery is conducted jointly by neighbouring nations including Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand, among others.”

Plant said less than 40 tonnes of marlin were estimated to be landed within New Zealand waters yearly, and all were shared with the community.

The sport fishing council was not associated with the Billfish Classic, but Plant said the event needed to be put into context.

“The event happens once a year. Last year, they only landed eight fish. Of course, all of the fish were shared with the community.

“This includes the heads and frames and offal. After all, maximum utilisation is another form of conservation.”