Beach goers in near the southern end of the Cape to Cape Track were recently given a fishy surprise when a 5 metre Blue Marlin was washed ashore!
Margaret River Shire Ranger Alison Scott was called to the scene to remove the giant fish.
“I walked out the marlin before he was hoisted up”, say Ranger Scott. “It was 5m from the tip of the bill to the tail!”
“Fisheries are going to let me know the specific weight & measurements”
Photo Alison Scott
Blue Marlin are said to attain a maximum size of 5 metres and live to 30 years, so this specimen must be somewhere towards the end of this range.
According to the Marine and Estuarine Fishes of South-western Australia guide, the southern most extend of the Blue Marlin’s range is Albany, although it is unusual to see them this far south.
“We have experienced reasonably warm water conditions due to the autumn flow of the Leeuwin Current”, Says Cape to Cape Explorer Tours Senior Guide Gene Hardy. “Recently though a number of very strong winter cold fronts have crossed the coast, bringing strong onshore winds, rains and storm surges.”
“Possibly this marlin came down in the warm water and then became trapped in the colder upwellings as winter set in, weakened and eventually perished in the challenging conditions”.
We have seen a number of other marine animals washed up after these large weather events, including pufferfish, sponges and seabirds, including a number of juvenile albatrosses.
This winter has also featured high overall rainfall and we’re expecting a fantastic season on the Cape to Cape Track, with lush vegetation cover and seasonal wildflowers.
Cape to Cape Explorer Tours spring End-to-End tours have proven very popular and only a handful of places remain, please click here if you are interested in joining us Cape to Cape Track End-toEnd.
Self guided tours are also available and let participants explore the Cape to Cape Track at their own pace, in style, comfort and safety – for more info please click here – Self Guided
Hope to see you out on the Cape to Cape Track soon!