ON October 10, 2017, keen spearfisher Russel Pollard, recaptured a tagged yellowtail kingfish off Sydney. Russel reported that the fish was the largest in the school, weighing in at a huge 22.5 kg. The kingfish was found to have been originally tagged at Coffin Bay, SA, in October 2015, clocking up over two years at liberty and a 713 nautical miles (1320 km) straight line distance from where it was released. The kingy had grown from 116 cm fork length to 123 cm fork length and marks yet another long distance kingfish movement from SA to NSW.
Interestingly, only three other kingfish released in South Australia have been recaptured in New South Wales, three of the four having been taken by spear fisherman, and two of the four in the exact same location (off Sydney!).
For more info on the NSW DPI Game Fish Tagging Program, click HERE.
