The catch rates of the most prestigious target species in the LBGF
(i.e. black marlin and yellowfin tuna) (0.0005–0.0025 fish h−1) were
substantially lower than for similar species caught in boat-based
recreational game fisheries in adjacent waters. For example, off
eastern Australia catch rates were about 0.1–0.2 fish h−1 for black
marlin (Lowry and Murphy, 2003) and 0.027 fish h−1 for striped
marlin off New Zealand (Holdsworth et al., 2003). However, the
catch rates of other smaller neritic species and principle baitfish
species were similar between the LBGF and boat-based fisheries.
For example, catch rates of S. lalandi and S. australis ranged from
0.022 to 0.045 fish h−1 in the LBGF and 0.05 to 0.18 fish h−1 in the
boat-based fishery (Lowry et al., 2006). The low catch rates of large
game fish species in the LBGF are probably due to fishers generally
being restricted to a single fishing location during each fishing
session and their fishable area being at the fringe of the normal
oceanic habitat of these sparsely distributed species. In contrast,
boat-based fishers can fish a greater area and actively seek common
aggregation areas for pelagic fish such as floating objects and
sea mounts.