Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Since its launch in 2011, the IGFA Great Marlin Race has fundamentally changed the way that scientists, anglers, and policymakers understand billfish migration patterns and habitat utilization, helping secure the future of these dynamic species for generations to come. To date, the IGFA Great Marlin Race has deployed nearly 600 satellite tags on billfish around the world, making it the largest program of its kind.
This year, a total of 59 satellite tags were deployed across five billfish species during 23 global tagging events. While some tags are set to provide data for the 2023-2024 race, 29 tags surfaced during this year's race, revealing fascinating migration patterns and distances. The IGFA is excited to declare that the winner of the 2022-2023 IGFA Great Marlin Race is Waste Knot, a top supporter of the program. The victorious tag was deployed during the 2022 Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament by tag sponsors Scott and Ven Poole aboard Waste Knot captained by Michael Tickle.
Demonstrating an extraordinary journey, the winning blue marlin, caught by Ven and tagged by Scott, traveled an impressive straight-line distance of 4,149 nautical miles (nm) from the US East Coast to the coast of Brazil. This incredible journey is not just this year's longest but also ranks as the 5th longest in the program's history and the 3rd longest for a blue marlin, with a total estimated track of 7,819 nm.
Since its launch in 2011, the IGFA Great Marlin Race has fundamentally changed the way that scientists, anglers, and policymakers understand billfish migration patterns and habitat utilization, helping secure the future of these dynamic species for generations to come. To date, the IGFA Great Marlin Race has deployed nearly 600 satellite tags on billfish around the world, making it the largest program of its kind.
This year, a total of 59 satellite tags were deployed across five billfish species during 23 global tagging events. While some tags are set to provide data for the 2023-2024 race, 29 tags surfaced during this year's race, revealing fascinating migration patterns and distances. The IGFA is excited to declare that the winner of the 2022-2023 IGFA Great Marlin Race is Waste Knot, a top supporter of the program. The victorious tag was deployed during the 2022 Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament by tag sponsors Scott and Ven Poole aboard Waste Knot captained by Michael Tickle.
Demonstrating an extraordinary journey, the winning blue marlin, caught by Ven and tagged by Scott, traveled an impressive straight-line distance of 4,149 nautical miles (nm) from the US East Coast to the coast of Brazil. This incredible journey is not just this year's longest but also ranks as the 5th longest in the program's history and the 3rd longest for a blue marlin, with a total estimated track of 7,819 nm.
