Anglers deployed satellite tags on striped marlin for the second year in a row at the 34th annual Master Angler Billfish Tournament in Balboa, California, on Sept. 11-12, 2015. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE IGFA.

Although the 2015-16 IGFA Great Marlin Race was the largest race year-to-date with 64 billfish tagged in 11 events, an estimated 318-kilogram (700-pound) Australian black marlin tagged during the 2015 Lizard Island, Australia IGMR has swept the race by more than 1,400 nautical miles.

On Nov. 4, 2015, just two weeks after the Great Northern 29th Lizard Island Black Marlin Classic, angler Gee Soh hooked up with an estimated 318-kilogram (700-pound) black marlin while fishing with Viking II’s Capt. Billy Billson.

After a 20-minute bout with the black, Glenn Johnston released the marlin with the satellite tag programmed to collect data for 240 days. On July 1, 2016, exactly 240 days on the fish, the tag popped up just south of the equator, about halfway between Papua New Guinea and South America, a remarkable 4,393 nautical miles away from where it was deployed!

Congratulations to sponsor Peter Teakle for winning the 2015-16 IGFA Great Marlin Race!

The black marlin not only swam the furthest of all billfish tagged during the race year, the fish secured the third place title of longest distance in IGMR history! And, Lizard Island is not just a special place for big game fishing and an area where your chances of catching a legendary “grander” are probably better than any other place on Earth, but it’s become home to the fish who are dominating the Great Marlin Race leaderboard!

Since the IGMR began in 2011, 253 tags have been placed on billfish in 20 countries during 33 events around the globe. Sixty-seven of those tags have gone out on billfish in Australia, 56 of which have been placed on black marlin that have swam a combined distance of 48,393 nautical miles – nearly 31 percent of the total miles recorded in the program!

Not only does this track bring back the winning title to Australia for the second year in a row, but it brings the second IGMR win for Peter. The IGFA is thrilled to once again invite and honor the Bertarelli Foundation during the 33rd annual IGFA International Auction & Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Peter Teakle has been a valued supporter of the Great Northern Lizard Island Black Marlin Classic and IGMR every year. He generously agreed to sponsor another ten tags for the 30th Black Marlin Classic held Oct. 8-16, 2016.