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The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) has announced the results of the 2025 IGFA Great Marlin Race, and for the second year in a row, a striped marlin tagged off New Zealand has claimed first place in this groundbreaking global billfish research initiative.
Taking place annually from October 1 to September 30, the IGFA Great Marlin Race (IGMR) is a citizen science program that invites anglers to deploy satellite tags on marlin and other billfish species they catch. The “winning” tag is the one that travels the farthest in a straight line from where it was deployed before surfacing. Beyond the competition, however, the IGMR’s true purpose lies in the invaluable data it generates on billfish movement, behavior, and habitat use—information that directly informs conservation and management strategies worldwide. You can learn more about that in another piece I recently did, found here.
This year’s winning tag was sponsored by the New Zealand Research Foundation and the New Plymouth Sportfishing and Underwater Club. It was deployed on an estimated 120-kg (264-lb) striped marlin on February 7, 2025, by Capt. Barry Govier aboard Crusader after being caught by angler Phil Bell. The tag stayed attached for 179 days, surfacing on August 5, 2025, after the marlin traveled a remarkable straight-line distance of 3,863 nautical miles—and an estimated 5,771 nm total—before popping off roughly 360 nm south of the equator in the central Pacific Ocean.
Second place went to a blue marlin tagged during the Bermuda Triple Crown aboard De-bait-able, captained by KJ Zeher. Sponsored by longtime IGMR supporter Mike Walsh, the tag was deployed by Cameron Walsh on a 180-lb blue marlin caught by Laura Russell. After 180 days at liberty, the tag surfaced nearly 2,829 nm away off Senegal, revealing a total track distance of 6,797 nm.
Rounding out the top three was a blue marlin tagged off Panama aboard Day Tripper, captained by Aquilino Vallarino. Sponsored by Club de Yates y Pesca de Panamá, the estimated 300-lb blue traveled 2,763 nm in a straight line and nearly 4,755 nm total before its tag surfaced after 188 days.
During the 2024–2025 race season, anglers and scientists deployed 54 satellite tags across 14 global tagging events. To date, more than 650 tags have been deployed since the program’s inception in 2011—making the IGFA Great Marlin Race the largest citizen science billfish tracking program in the world.
“Each year, the IGFA Great Marlin Race adds another layer to the global picture of billfish migration,” said IGFA President Jason Schratwieser. “The data these anglers help collect will influence how we understand and protect these species for decades to come.”
Presented by Costa Sunglasses, the IGMR is a collaboration between the IGFA and Stanford University, with support from AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, PENN, Yamaha Rightwaters, and the Big Rock Foundation.
To learn more about the program or to get involved in tagging events around the world, visit www.igfa.org/the-great-marlin-race.
