History of the mighty black marlin catches
Ralph Hullet caught his 1 002 lb black marlin off Bazaruto in 1960. By Erwin Bursik
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ANTA Carolina – or Paradise Island as it was known by most ardent offshore big game anglers from Moçambique, Rhodesia (in those days) and South Africa during the 1950s and ’60s – was the ultimate destination to pursue ambitions of hunting for black marlin on the seaward side of the Bazaruto archipelago.At that stage it was the only area along the southern African coastline where it was believed the black marlin came to breed from September to November each year. Situated in the lee of the very substantial island of Bazaruto was the idyllic island of Santa Carolina. Joaquim Alves, a Portuguese businessman who had already built a hotel on the mainland, developed a holiday resort on Santa Carolina in the early 1950s, including a substantial upmarket hotel. He started sportfishing from his own craft and, after achieving a degree of success, followed this up with other craft designated for sportfishing, giving big game anglers from Moçambique and neighbouring countries the opportunity to target these mighty fish. During the early 1950s, through the Central African Deep Sea Angling Society (CADSAS) and the South African Game Fish Association (SAGFA), a number of seasoned offshore sportfishermen who had the financial resources to pursue the sport of heavy tackle big game fishing from international destinations in North America and South America were tempted to test the waters off Bazaruto. Of course the price tag for fishing there was far lower than 30 • SKI-BOAT March/April 2024
to fish in the Americas. Even while fishing from far less sophisticated craft than they might have been used to, these seasoned billfish anglers quickly established that there was indeed a black marlin fishery in the waters off Bazaruto Island. The earliest photographs of these pioneers showing off their catches hanging from the resort gantries proved that big marlin were being caught in reasonable numbers. These photos also whet the appetites of a broader base of sportfishermen who were keen to try their luck at an affordable destination that was a short f light from either Salisbury or Johannesburg. In turn, this encouraged Joaquim Alves to upgrade his basic sportfishing craft. A few sportfishers designed to American standards subsequently travelled from Durban to Bazaruto for the marlin season or were imported into Moçambique and then based at Santa Carolina. Santa Carolina blossomed as a sport-
fishing destination and as a very popular tropical island holiday venue for South Africans, Rhodesians and Mozambicans themselves. This venue thrived right up to the early 1970s when hostility between the two rival political parties closed Moçambique to tourists for the next 20 years. The hotels on Santa Carolina were abandoned in about 1973 and the island was subsequently occupied by Frelimo forces and became a no-go zone. After the war, a number of lodges based on Bazaruto, Benguela and Magaruque flourished. This, along with the introduction of well-maintained and equipped large ski-boats, spearheaded the targeting of billfish and the abundant gamefish in the area. Better boats also meant a much shorter ride from the lodges to the recognised gamefishing grounds. History can be boring to many of our younger deep sea anglers, but the Bazaruto archipelago will always be
