THE FISHING BEHIND THE SCIENCE Guy Harvey BY CA STAFF
Everyone knows there’s some real science behind fishing—understanding how fish behave and the environment they live in and then applying that knowledge to catch a particular species. But in the world of Guy Harvey, there’s also a lot of fishing behind the science. That is, to study fish—especially to tag them and track them—you first must get them to the boat. This issue, we speak to Guy about the fishing side of his research and the techniques his team employs for catching marlin, makos and other awesome species.
Above: Guy, hooked up during a tagging expedition. Right: Attaching a shark tag. Photos: George Schellenger.
CA: How much of your fishing time is purely recreational compared to time spent targeting fish for tagging studies or other research? GH: I enjoy fishing for fun, any kind of fishing really, but I prefer offshore fishing. Fishing for blue marlin out of my home island of Jamaica, but more recently Grand Cayman, can be very exciting. Some of the best days recently are taking enough dive tanks to do three dives off the north wall and then going marlin fishing during the surface interval with my kids, Alex and Jessica. I also enjoy fishing alone in my 26’ Dusky Makaira. There is no one to ask “Where are the fish?” or, “Can we go home now?” And there’s no one to instruct on how to reel in a fish! It’s just me and the screaming reel, excitement and the roar of adrenaline in my ears. Over the years, I had several blue marlin on, even a double-header once back in 2008. I have caught four blue marlin on my own, up to 300 lbs. and tagged two of them with PATs (Pop-up Archival Transmitting tags). When in Panama at Tropic Star and not filming a TV show, I enjoy taking photos of the action. One of the ultimate challenges is to get a good, crisp shot of a jumping marlin, sail or dorado. You must be dedicated—no handling rods, baits, coaching people, etc. You must be ready at all times for the bite and consequent jumps.
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