480lb Marlin

[Amphibious]

another take on it:

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

[Fondueset]

Great video. That guy pretty obviously felt guilty. Watching the Marlin's behavior it's clear the diver was about to get seriously wacked - it was edging closer on each run. I like his last statement 'my mom's gonna kills me'..

[josedesucre]

Lets hope there is no trouble validating his record, because he really deserves it. According to a post in Pescasub.com it is illegal to take a Blue Marling spearfishing in Panama, but since they were 25 miles offshore, thats international waters, so there should be no problem. The fish was cleaned and distributed to locals en Panama for consumption.

[Biggator]

I am friends and have fished with Robert the person who took this fish. I have also spoken with him and saw the video. This was a case of self defense. This fish circled him 4-5 times before he decided he better shoot it. This was not taken for the record or for food it was taken so he was not injured. This fish was preditorial over this log and was not going to allow him to cohabitate there.

[Cisco_Kid]

Originally Posted by josedesucre

Well, Cisco Kid, I wonder why were you asking for advice, a few days back, to get your speargun in good shape? Now I understand your motto.

Yeah thanks for that...what i said about the endangered species..well that was sarcasm, with a hint of truth in it. I'm just not big on trophy killing.
Relax. Im not out to get anyone. What you do, is what you do.
And for the record...I Loooooooove spearing and eating fish.

And on a different note...that second video was a much better look at it. Deserves the record.

[argus66]

one less beautiful fish for the rest of us to enjoy. i understand fishing and eating the fish im fine with that but this size marlin is almost extinct now there is even 1 less all because of some stupid record. i like that they say hes a conservationst. man i dont see that. that fish is more than 30 yrs old it desevers better than just being shot in the neck by some fool. at least get the thing mounted so others can see how great this fish was.

a better video would be it spearing him. i guess swimming away was not an option? or just giving him a good poke with spear.

[StretchArmStron]

some peoples thought process amazes me.

"this size marlin is almost extinct now" What a crock of sh.t. Where is your factual base for this rediculous statement?

And mount the fish? Sure, all you need is a picture and something giving a size reference and you can have a mount made...and STILL enjoy eating the fish.

sorry for getting a bit fired up but 1. the fish seems to be legally taken 2. the meat was distributed to locals to FEED THEM (sharing your catch is a great thing), 3. The man was in some danger. 4. That is generally a once in a lifetime occurence to take the king of pelagic fish.

There is question about the legality of the fish, if legal then congratulations for an awesome story caught on tape and broadcasted for us to enjoy.

There are plenty of other things to seriously get up in arms about, like commercial longliners, trawlers, no spearing zones, etc.

[Amphibious]

argus, this is a spearfishing forum. if you don't agree with what is posted here you don't have to read it. comments like that are not welcome here. I'll leave it up purely to show future readers how far "out of touch" some posters are, but any more comments like that will find you no longer welcome here. thanks.

[Fondueset]

It's a real shame that people who fancy themselves conservationists - and imagine they have some sensitivity to the natural world are so willing to pollute that same world with poorly formed and violent judgements.

It makes everyone who is environmentally conscious look bad.

I'm afraid those who talk the loudest often have only the faintest beginings of awareness with regard to what they presume to be qualified to talk about. PETA is the biggest example. Here we have a group of people who seem to have suddenly come to the realization that plants and animals are not inanimate objects. Good for them.

But instead of paying attention and learning something - they immediately project a veritable cesspit of hysterical psychological bullshit and unresolved emotional needs onto a world that, by definition, pulses with much greater intelligence than they could ever hope to embrace - particularly given their commitment to the various mechanisms in themselves that severely limit the potential for any real sensitivity. What remains is only violence, judgement and hysteria.

argus66 - if you bother to actually read this thread - and watch the youtube video - you'll see the guy was stuck 1/2 mile from his boat with a 500lb marlin edging closer to him on every pass. He realized the fish was not feeding - it was asserting territorial dominance over the bait fish - beating them with it's bill and working up to doing the same to the diver - who was, initially, excited about filming a Marlin feeding but suddenly realized he was in immediate danger. You can also see he had real mixed feelings about it.

The mainstream media clip, of course, made it look like a trophy hunt.

[Cisco_Kid]

It must have been a pretty overwhelming situation to be in..It was when he compared the fish as someone swinging a baseball bat. Thats when you think, ummm.. yeah.. I can see why you had to do it..

[argus66]

well i did watch the video and i listed carefully if the boat was so far away who is he taliking to as soon as he surfaces? someone is also talking back. why not still just swim away carefully?i think your not watching the video to let you know this is not in a back yard pool. this is the marlins log in the marlins ocean! poor thing is there trying to feed 25 miles offshore where it belongs far from humans. if a 500lb marlin walks in your door and tries to kill you as you eat dinner by all means kill it. same goes here some guy jumps into the marlins dinner plate and then cries its trying to eat me i must kill it. im sorry i just do not see it being justifed.

[Cisco_Kid]

Originally Posted by argus66

well i did watch the video and i listed carefully if the boat was so far away who is he taliking to as soon as he surfaces? someone is also talking back. why not still just swim away carefully?i think your not watching the video to let you know this is not in a back yard pool. this is the marlins log in the marlins ocean! poor thing is there trying to feed 25 miles offshore where it belongs far from humans. if a 500lb marlin walks in your door and tries to kill you as you eat dinner by all means kill it. same goes here some guy jumps into the marlins dinner plate and then cries its trying to eat me i must kill it. im sorry i just do not see it being justifed.

Every living thing on this planet kills in self defence if it has to. Even us humans..The diver felt like he was in danger, as you can see from the video...Please, Get over it, Go light a candle and say a prayer for it if need be..

[Mullins]

one less beautiful fish for the rest of us to enjoy. i understand fishing and eating the fish im fine with that but this size marlin is almost extinct now there is even 1 less all because of some stupid record. i like that they say hes a conservationst. man i dont see that. that fish is more than 30 yrs old it desevers better than just being shot in the neck by some fool.

Eh?? Marlin are one of the fastest growing fish in the sea. My 156kg (345lb) model was estimated at 5-6yrs old, so I wouldn't imagine this one would be much older. 8-10yrs, perhaps?

What exactly is the problem with this marlin being shot - the fact that it is big? The fact that it looks pretty? Those seem to be the only attributes separating it from the millions of other fish that are netted/hooked/speared without provoking bouts of weepy hand-wringing.

[Mullins]

According to fishbase max reported age for blue marlin is 28yrs - and that's @ approx 900kg!! 10yrs absolute max for this fella, given that growth rates start off very fast before slowing down.

[Fondueset]

Interesting - Freshwater Lake Trout live to be as old as 45 - by which time they might only be 25-30 inches long.