Bill fish in New Zealand, please read below to learn more.

---

 

 Striped Marlin / Species ID

---

COMMON NAME

Striped Marlin

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Tetrapturas audax

LEGAL LENGTH & LIMIT

Please read the Bill Fish Moratorium

 

SPEARFISHING ADVICE

To take on the challenge to spear such a fish requires the spearfisherman to be fully confident in the water and to have a good sound knowledge of their sport. The correct equipment and advice in very important to safely secure these fish.
Currently in New Zealand there are two main techniques used. Firstly towing teasers behind a trolling boat.
The spearfisherman is ready at the stern of the boat watching for the marlin to swim into the towing teasers. The spearfisherman slips into the water and spears the marlin off the teaser as they are being towed.
This method requires the spearfisherman and crew to be alert the entire day. Once the fish is sighted the opportunity to shoot a fish is limited to seconds as the fish swims past. The spearfisherman must be very alert, rotating shooters on the stern helps with passing the long hours waiting for a fish.

---

COMMON NAME

Blue Marlin

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Makaira nigricans

LEGAL LENGTH & LIMIT

Bill Fish are included as your combined daily bag limit of fin fish. There are different amounts allowed depending on where you are in New Zealnd

• ·         Auckland Central and Challenger are 20 per person
• ·        South East Area, Southland Area, and Fiorlans Area are 30 per person
•  

SPEARFISHING ADVICE 

The Blue Marlin has never been speared in New Zealand waters. Reported captures by fisherman have caught Blue Marlin reaching 900kg in weight but the average seems to be around 180kg. Truly a species that most pelagic hunters want to target.
Blue marlin prefer the higher temperature waters and will migrate with the warmer currents for hundreds or even thousands of km's.

In different parts of the world Blue Marlin have been speared, the one below was speared in South Africa. 
 

---

COMMON NAME

Black Marlin
 

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Makaira indica
 

LEGAL LENGTH & LIMIT

Bill Fish are included as your combined daily bag limit of fin fish. There are different amounts allowed depending on where you are in New Zealnd

• ·         Auckland Central and Challenger are 20 per person
• ·        South East Area, Southland Area, and Fiorlans Area are 30 per person 

 

SPEARFISHING ADVICE

The Black Marlin is yet to be speared and landed in New Zealand waters. One of the most recent speared fish was by Ian Puckeridge of Australia. These fish move with the warmer currents around New Zealand mainly in the far north in some place on the West coast. The Black Marlin has been said to be one of the hardest fish to subdue once speared

---