International Game Fish Association
The International Game Fish Association is a not-for-profit organization committed to the conservation of game fish and the promotion of responsible, ethical angling practices through science, education, rule making and record keeping.


IGFA Great Marlin Race
IGMR
What is the IGMR?
The IGFA Great Marlin Race (IGMR) is a partnership between IGFA and Stanford University that pairs recreational anglers with cutting-edge science to learn more about the basic biology of marlin and how they utilize the open ocean habitat. The goal of the program is to deploy 50 pop up archival tags (PAT) in marlin at billfish tournaments around the world each year. This effort will increase understanding of distribution, population structure and biology of marlin and engage anglers and the general public in the research process. By increasing our understanding of where these animals go and how they use the pelagic ecosystem, we will provide valuable information to the resource managers and policy makers responsible for ensuring their long-term conservation.
Learn more about the IGMR!
Winner Announced for 2012 IGFA Great Marlin Race
By IGFA Staff
October 12, 2012
The first year of the IGFA Great Marlin Race (IGMR) has come to a close, with six tagging events helping to deploy 24 satellite tags in blue and black marlin in three oceans. A total of 12,070 nautical miles (nm) have thus far been tracked from the tags on these majestic game fish, but one tag alone accounts for nearly 40% of that distance...Read More
HAWAIIAN IBT KICKS OFF SECOND YEAR OF THE IGMR
By IGFA Staff
August 13, 2012
Ten tags have been sponsored at the 53rd Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament IGFA Great Marlin Race in Kailua Kona. As the fishing kicks off today, we excitedly await the information for each fish that is tagged. Keep checking here for updates!
IGMR STATUS UPDATE AUGUST 2012:
24 TAGS DEPLOYED SO FAR
By IGFA Staff
A total of 24 tags have been deployed in the past year; six out of San Juan, Puerto Rico; eight from Richard’s Bay, South Africa; nine out of Exmouth, Australia and now one on a marlin off Madeira, Portugal! As we await the report of the five tags currently at liberty, we are gearing up to hold another IGMR event in Kona, Hawai’i. In Kona, we expect to have another ten tags sponsored. To view the tags as they are deployed and report, stay tuned to the Global Leaderboard to see who is in the lead with the farthest traveling fish!
THE GREAT MARLIN RACE CONTINUES!
By IGFA Staff
There has been no shortage of activity for the Great Marlin Race over the past few weeks. February saw the first tags of the Great Marlin Race deployed in the Indian Ocean, with the tagging of five more blue marlin out of Richard’s Bay, South Africa, during the South African Deep Sea Angling Association’s (SADSAA) Billfish Classic.   Read More
IGFA GREAT MARLIN RACE ON ITS THIRD CONTINENT
By IGFA Staff
As the IGFA Great Marlin Race prepares to begin on its third continent – Australia – co-chairs Jason Schratwieser of the IGFA and Dr. Randy Kochevar of Stanford University are already enthused about the outcomes. “These are the kind of results we dreamed about when we first launched the Great Marlin Race program back in 2009,” Kochevar has said.   Read More
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IGMR Sat Tag
IGMR Pop-Up Tags

The Great Marlin Race relies upon Wildlife Computers MK-10 pop-up tags. Each tag is attached to a marlin with a titanium dart, attached to a heavy monofilament leader connected to a special pin at the bottom of the tag. Once the fish is tagged, the tag records depth, temperature and light - which is used to calculate the fish's location. At a pre-programmed date, the pin at the bottom of the tag corrodes away, setting the tag free from the fish. The foam float at the top of the tag carries it to the surface, allowing the antenna to relay summaries of the stored data, via the Argos satellite system, back to the laboratory.     Read More