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A giant black marlin jumping beside a game fishing boat

The 100 tag mission · Cairns and the Coral Sea

Help track the giants of the Coral Sea.

Fund the satellite tags, science and stories revealing where giant black marlin go after release. Help protect one of Australia's greatest game fishing legacies.

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5 tags deployed in 2025
15 tags already committed
30+ target for next season
100 tags over three years

The tags are live

The first fish are already talking.

Five satellite tags deployed in 2025 have already returned movement, depth, temperature and habitat data. Now ABMF is scaling the pilot into a long term program.

  • All five 2025 tags reported and returned usable data.
  • Every fish gave us a movement story after release.
  • No two fish moved the same way, so we need a bigger sample.
View the 2025 tag stories
2025 satellite tag movement tracks for giant black marlin in the Coral Sea
2025 pilot tag movements. The first real tracks from the program.

Who is behind it

Science led. Fleet powered. Built for the future.

ABMF brings together experienced Cairns crews, independent scientific input and a once in a generation opportunity to understand giant black marlin after release.

  • Cairns professional fleet
  • Satellite tag research
  • Fish welfare focused
  • Independent science support
  • Long term data program

Meet the fish

Five fish. Five stories from the 2025 pilot.

These are the first giant black marlin carrying an ABMF tag. Real fish, real crews, real data coming back from the Coral Sea.

Tag ABMF-01 Data in analysis

Opal

Release area
Opal Reef, off Port Douglas
Approx size
Est. 900 lb
Data returned
62 days of movement, depth and temperature

Tagged on a clean release and reported right on schedule. First look at the data shows steady time in warmer surface water.

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Tag ABMF-02 Tracking north

Linden

Release area
Linden Bank, off Cairns
Approx size
Est. 750 lb
Data returned
48 days of movement and dive data

Headed north through the Coral Sea after release. A good example of the wider movement we want to map.

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Tag ABMF-03 Tag reported

Ribbon

Release area
Ribbon Reef No. 10
Approx size
Est. 1,000 lb plus
Data returned
55 days of full profile data

A true grander released in good condition. The tag popped and reported on time, giving us a clean record from a big fish.

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Tag ABMF-04 Tracking continues

Crispin

Release area
St Crispin Reef
Approx size
Est. 600 lb
Data returned
40 days and counting

One of the smaller fish in the pilot. Early data is in and the record keeps building as we work through it.

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Tag ABMF-05 Deep water data

Agincourt

Release area
Agincourt Reefs
Approx size
Est. 850 lb
Data returned
51 days of movement, depth and temperature

Recorded some of the deepest dives of the pilot. The kind of behaviour we could not see before the tags went in.

Follow this fish

Fish names, sizes and figures shown here are from the 2025 pilot and will be updated as full data is confirmed.

About ABMF

Built by the Cairns marlin fleet.

The Australian Black Marlin Foundation started with the people who know this fishery best. The skippers, crews, anglers and boat owners who fish giant black marlin off Cairns want to help secure its future.

We work with independent scientists to turn that fleet access into proper satellite tagging research. Through the Marlin Kings series, the story reaches fishing audiences and ocean lovers well beyond Australia.

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This is about giving something back to the fishery that has given us so much. We want to help protect giant black marlin so our kids get the chance to experience what we have.

Marlin Kings

Big fishing. Global reach. Real conservation.

Marlin Kings follows the people, boats and big moments behind one of the world's great game fishing seasons, chasing giant black marlin off Cairns and the Coral Sea.

The series screens internationally through ITV and in Australia on Channel 7, with Season 2 already in production. It gives ABMF a storytelling reach most research programs never get.

Season 2 underway

Chasing Giants

A premium adventure and sport fishing series built to take the Cairns black marlin fishery to global audiences.

Watch the film

Why 100 tags?

One fish gives us a story.

Five fish start to show patterns.

One hundred tags can build a serious dataset across seasons, fish sizes, release locations and ocean conditions.

The goal is simple. Use world class fleet access to build world class black marlin science.

Fund a tag

Pick your level. Put science in the water.

Every level of support helps fund the tags, the science and the stories that come back from each fish. Here is what your support does.

  • $100 supports data handling and reporting
  • $500 supports crew training, tagging support and outreach
  • $1,000 supports science, reporting and fish story production
  • $7,500 funds one satellite tag
  • Partner funds multiple tags and sponsor content
Fund one tag $7,500 one satellite tag, in the water, on a fish

A funded tag can be named by the donor. Supporters receive deployment updates, recognition and a summary of what the fish reveals.

Fund a tag Talk to ABMF

Deployments are controlled. Crew training covers fish welfare, tag placement, release condition and data quality. This is a serious research program that puts the fish first.

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Not ready to fund a tag yet? Stay close to the science. We send occasional updates on where the tagged marlin travel, new deployments and how the program is growing. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

Get involved

Fund a tag. Sponsor a fish. Talk to us.

Fill in the form or reach out directly and we will get back to you.

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