A crew of fisherman were left stranded when their boat’s engine was destroyed by a huge black marlin that slashed it, prompting one of Australia’s most unique maritime distress calls.
About 1 p.m. on Sunday, the 6.7-meter vessel snagged a 70 kilogram marlin while trawling for fish around 32 kilometres off the coast of Tura Head in NSW’s southeast.
The marlin turned rogue, made a sharp U-turn, and rammed its sword snout through the motor as the guys struggled to pull in the enormous fish.
The canvas cover and cowling of the engine were both damaged by the marlin, which rendered the engine inoperable and left the fishermen stranded at sea.
The captain of the damaged ship told AAP that as they were battling the object, it made a U-turn and crashed into the engine.
Given how hard it is to get them, black marlin are among the strongest fish in the ocean and are prized as the ultimate trophy by many fisherman.
Finding the boat and returning the crew to land fell to Marine Rescue Merimbula Unit Commander Bill Blakeman and volunteers.
The rescue operation took around three and a half hours to reach the damaged boat and pull it back to the Kianinny boat dock in Tathra. It took an hour to get to the boat.
The fishermen were startled by the marlin’s strength and speed as their prized catch turned to wreck their boat.
The captain said, “Everything occurred so quickly… That was a scary thing.”
We were forced to cut the line.
Throughout his 15 years of voluntary work on the sea, Mr. Blakeman said that he had never heard of a marlin harming a boat.
He made a statement that said, “That was an interesting rescue.”
“Over the years, I’ve had a few of shark-related accidents where they attacked propellers, but never a marlin crippling a vessel,” the boater said.
The captain said that he will donate to Marine Rescue on that day.
He expressed his gratitude for the help that Marine Rescue had given.
Black marlins are somewhat slower than blue marlin but far more powerful because to their more sturdy frames, robust dorsal fins, and larger heads and shoulders.
A black marlin weighing 70 kg would be around 2 meters long, but the biggest marlin ever caught weighed 750 kg and measured 4.65 meters.
»Black marlin hits a boat in Tathra, NSW«
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