Big Fiji GT

[Ben Furness]

Just thought I would share some interesting pictures of a nice catch a few weeks ago in Fiji. The locals insisted they keep it as they had a festival on that weekend and it was enough to feed 12 families!
Anyone care to guess its weight?

[Warwick Joyce]

Jeeze, it is a biggun! My guess is around the 60kg??

[Dan Konig]

Thats a great fish!

[Darren Cook]

Hey Byron Ford, thats the boat you're on next week.
Damn shame that ones not still swimming around out there.

[Callan Wallace]

Great fish. Just a word of caution, When the "Fiji locals" want to keep a fish, it is ok to say no. Unfortunately there is a special occasion every day here in Fiji and that fish will feed the whole village. But the truth can be much more sinister than that. Think $4.oo kg plus bragging rights. Promoting and insisting on catch and release is the only way to go. The reefs in Fiji are being stripped of their apex predators due to special occasions. Just food for thought.

[David Noble]

Great fish. Just a word of caution, When the "Fiji locals" want to keep a fish, it is ok to say no. Unfortunately there is a special occasion every day here in Fiji and that fish will feed the whole village. But the truth can be much more sinister than that. Think $4.oo kg plus bragging rights. Promoting and insisting on catch and release is the only way to go. The reefs in Fiji are being stripped of their apex predators due to special occasions. Just food for thought.

Callan as in many island cultures the locals' fishing practices are most harmful in tidal waters where the nursery fish are taken well before reaching maturity. I'd rather see 1 x 60kg GT taken than a drag net load of 200 juvenile 'anythings' from the inshore reef and mangroves...
I dont think it's sinister, to them the concept of catch and release to them is absurd! Around the Coral Coast there are no shortage of GT's this size, have a look at some of the Beqa shark dive video's.  Selling fishing rights to the forgeign longliners are the apex problem!

I find it hard to point the finger when the cost of our fishing tackle alone could feed, cloth and assist their entire family for a year.
I agree, there are plenty of special occassions and although no fish get wasted, there are alternatives!

Cheers David

[Callan Wallace]

David, it would be alright if it was 1X60kg GT, but the reality is a lot worse than that. Actually there is a shortage of GT's that size around the Coral Coast as I fish it on a regular basis. In fact I stopped doing charters because it was getting hard to catch any GT's at all. I have seen the shark dive videos and yes you see a lot of GT's, but not as many as there used to be. And unfortunately those big GT's in the videos will not take a lure, in fact they will only take tuna because they have grown accustomed to being fed. You will also find that the shark dive boys take a lot of big GT's for "special occasions".
If we do not stop taking large GT's and start teaching C/R then there will be no GT's in the future. This can only happen if we, as anglers and tourists, say no to killing everything that hits the deck. The Fijians will not starve and if anyone is worried about the salaries of the boat boys then I suggest a nice tip at the end of the trip. Maybe along with a bit of conservation education.
Callan

[Sachin Chaudhry]

Mid 40s. The locals do not fish for fun. Fuel is $2.50 a litre and in the islands it is food that matters. Unless they get compensated a local boat will not release fish. Make that clear before you hire or the fish WILL be taken. That's just the way it is here.

[Luke Wyrsta]

Both good points from David and Callan...again, work needs to be done to show just how much fishing tourism and recreational tourism can bring locals in a given area.

GT fishing would be steadily rising in rank for per person expenditure as more people participate, and it's all primarily catch and release.

Anyway, fanstatic capture! Hopefully in the future we will see more swim away shots (as this is what the site is all about).

[Luke Wyrsta]

Mid 40s. The locals do not fish for fun. Fuel is $2.50 a litre and in the islands it is food that matters. Unless they get compensated a local boat will not release fish. Make that clear before you hire or the fish WILL be taken. That's just the way it is here.

Sachin, just as an exercise, what has more value a 40kg+ GT or $150.00 cash - what buys/is more food?

[Sachin Chaudhry]

That's my point Luke. If the crew get cash for letting fish go they won't insist on keeping it. It is good to clear this with them or go on a charter with a hotel where release is not an issue. Cost will be much higher though. Chartering a local long boat is going to have an almost 100% fatality rate as the locals look at the fish as a form of payment.

[Biff Latter]

sachin why don't they look at the cash payment they receive from the charter as a form of payment??? i agree with callan, tipping the skippers with cash if they put you onto some good fish is the way to go, i dont care who's boat I'm on, if i land a GT one way or another it will end up back in the water...between the longliners fishing a mile off the reef, and all the fingerlings and juveniles getting cleaned up inshore, there will be nothing left...

[Mark Harris]

I have had similar issues with Indonesian crews.  Make it very clear when you charter a boat that you have paid for it therefore you determine what happens to the fish.  As Sachin says, be responsible enough to pay more if that is required.

That fish looks around 50 kgs to me.  I don't agree with comments about taking fish that size being better than taking lots of small ones. You simply can't take fish of that size and maturity out of an eco-system.

[Sachin Chaudhry]

Hi Biff. The local skippers do not always own the boat. Therefore if the hotel or boat owner is told about release being mandatory it will happen. Otherwise all fish are likely to be treated as gaff size.

[Byron Ford]

Hey Byron Ford, thats the boat you're on next week.
Damn shame that ones not still swimming around out there.

Mate im watching the news now an by the looks of the the weather an flooding over I so t be doing any fishing, devastated I been planning this trip for ages