Million Dollar Boats but No Billfish?

[BigMarineFish.com]

Each month I see page-after-page of really expensive boats advertized for sale in Marlin, Sport Fishing and every other major magazine devoted to offshore sport fishing. Many cost over $3 million and they keep getting longer, more luxurious and more expensive each year. I'm sure it has to do with the "one percent" accumulating ever increasing wealth....

But, when we have allowed the blue marlin, white marlin and bluefin tuna of the Atlantic (including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea) to be driven to extinction (within about a decade at their recent rate of declines) by commercial overfishing targeting the "money fish" (swordfish, bluefin, bigeye, and yellowfin, primarily), what will these floating palaces be used for then? Really expensive boat rides?

And how about all the manufacturers of expensive electronics; rods, reels and terminal tackle; outboards for their piggyback center consoles; etc. Don't forget the marinas, hotels and oceanside communities (many located at island paradises) catering to anglers.

The extinction point for Atlantic blue and white marlin (this is for the ENTIRE Atlantic, by the way) can be predicted based on their populations' decline as reported in ICCAT's most recent stock assessments as portrayed below:



If the trendline of either species is extended into the future based on their past 10-15 years of record, the combined catch by all 48 ICCAT member countries should approach zero (= extinction) within about 10 years. For more detailed information see www.BigMarineFish.com/marlin.html.

Strictly out of self-interest, I would think that those businesses catering to and dependent upon sport fishermen and well as the fishermen themselves (particularly the "one percent") would make personal commitments to reversing this clear trend before it's too late. In the case of bluefin, this can be done as easily as writing a letter regarding the Deepwater Horizon settlement as posted on the Conservation board. In any event, we better get cracking on something much more effective than now being done as these fish's time on this earth is rapidly running out.

Jim Chambers
www.BigMarineFish.com