Sportfishing Club Funds Musem

Pacific Marinelife Institute has launched the Oceania Sportfishing Club to help raise funds for its research and history projects, as well as promote fishing adventures that help study and protect the region's fisheries. The Fishery History Project will be a major beneficiary of money raised from the new Sportfishing Club.

Visit the Sportfish Project Blog for more information. 

Fishing History Project Update

As many interviews as possible are continuing. Ray Joyce is currently in Cairns for 5 days documenting some of the very early years from 1954 to 1979. This will make up the first book - GBR Marlin The Early Years.

The team is preparing to launch a new YouTube channel of archive footage a series of photo galleries hosted on Flickr.

Books in production that will soon be available on a new Issuu bookself include:
GBR Marlin - The Early Years 1954 to 1979
GBR Marlin Crew - An A to Z Guide
GBR Marlin Boats - An A to Z Guide

Other titles in production include GBR Marlin decade books - 1980-89, 1990-99, 2000-2009.

All of the GBR Marlin books will be available free as digital books on Issuu, with interactive versions available on DVD and limited edition printed copies also available. The digital copies will be released as revised editions each August.

Vale Geoff Ferguson

Capt. Geoff Ferguson on the bridge of Kamari

Vale Geoff Ferguson. Passed away in Brisbane on Saturday 28th May 2011. Australian Gamefishing has lost a gentleman. Read a tribute on The Sportfish Project Blog.

GBR Marlin 2010 Year Book

The Fishing Museum will soon release the GBR Marlin 2010 Year Book. There is still time for charter boats, anglers and tournaments to submit information and photos for inclusion in the Year Book. The 2010 Year Book will be available as a free download, as well as an interactive edition including photo galleries, videos and interviews on DVD; and limited edition coffee table version. Coffee table and DVD editions will be available for sale initially to TFM Supporters and then the wider fishing community. TFM Supporter discounts will apply. So sign up as a TFM Supporter today.

Marlin History Project Update

Gameboats alongside for the night off Cairns

Over the last few months project historian Ray Joyce has travelled to Sydney and Cairns to conduct interviews. This has helped piece together the story of building gamefishing boats in Cairns, the first of the 'big' motherships - the ReefTel and SeaTel, and many personal accounts of time spent fishing the Cairns Marlin seasons. A thank you to the many crews who have provided their personal diaries, such as Bill Billson who provided 22 years worth of invaluable information. From these diaries not only is the History Project archive growing, but the Institute's Gamefish project is using the information to study the Great Barrier Reef marlin catch in comparison to climatics.

Pacific Marinelife Institute will release the first in a series of digital books in early 2011 on the fishing for marlin in Cairns. The first will cover 1954 - 1979, and each decade after that will be re accounted in a book. Three other books on the crew, boats and fish are also in production for release soon. These will be updated each year. The project is seeking information on marlin weighed aborad motherships duirng the Cairns Marlin seasons. If you have any information or photos that show weigh boards this can be of great assistance. Please contact or forward the information to the The Fishing Museum here.

Vale Allan Turnball

Allan Turnball (left) presenting trophies at Lizard Island Classic

The passing of Allan Turnball in August 2010 was a great loss to the Cairns Marlin fishery. Allan, together with his late wife June helped bring about and run for many years two of the best known marlin classics in Cairns giant black marlin fishery - the Lizard Island and Lexus Marlin Classics. Allan loved his fishing and was a great supporter of the concept of the Pacific Marinelife Institute's Fishing Museum. Many of the images he collected over the years form part of the Museum's photo archives. His efforts to promote the sport of gamefishing will be missed by all.