Says Pepperell, some 30,000 have been tagged with a survival rate of 85 percent. Tagged marlin have now been known to cross 10,000 miles of ocean, notably from Australia to Baja California. Tagging a black marlin poses somewhat different problems than, say, banding a bird. It's all done by darting. But when we let them go, the feeling on board that boat is just wonderful.
Fishermen love and respect that big fish.
To purchase a copy of the April 2000 issue, click here . Originally published in the April 2000 issue of Smithsonian Magazine. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.