...with 2 marlins on Labour Day!
FOLLOWING its recent success and tournament win in the Seychelles National Fishing Tournament, the number one big-game fishing charter boat in Seychelles “Island Girl” went out on May 1st and came back with a record catch of 2 marlins, some 30 large yellow-fin tunas, and many other game fish such as dorado, trevally and wahoo.
Anglers Guy Savy and his son Harry stopped fishing after a few hours as they had no space left on the boat to store the fish. “It is hard enough catching one marlin, but two in a day is a record. While I brought in the first one, my son Harry pulled in the second one and when you add the ferocious runs of the yellow-fin tunas, we can simply say that we are exhausted” Mr. Savy told us.
“We wanted to release the second marlin but unfortunately, the hook had set in too far back and the fish would not have survived”, the proud skipper Antoine Hoareau told the LNSW. “The sea temperature is starting to drop now due to the start of the South-East monsoon, thus trolling is now going to be much better than in the past few months”.
Big-game fishing in Seychelles is becoming more and more a popular sport amongst locals and visitors alike. Seychelles can boast not only one of the most productive fishing grounds, but record fish have been caught in our waters for decades. Many older anglers will tell you that only 2 or 3 decades ago, one only had to venture outside Beau Vallon Bay to catch more yellow-fin tuna than you could ever eat.
With the surge of tuna purse-seiners and long-lining fleets taking more than their fair share of fish, stocks are not what it used to be. Also, the surge in fuel prices have made a day of fishing quite expensive. Still, game-fishing is still a great sport that continues to attract anglers to our shores and bring much needed revenue into the country. Many countries in the Caribbean and even Mauritius earn millions per year touting their respective destinations as some of the best fishing grounds on Earth.
Our own Ministry of Tourism and Seychelles Tourism Board should therefore continue to promote Seychelles as “THE BEST” fishing destination in the world.