Imperial Needlefish caught, tagged and released in fishing contest
The O’ Porto Rotondo Offshore Classic Edition was held in the waters of Porto Rotondo in Sardinia, from August 20 – 22.
Promoted by FPT Industrial, this contest is said to be the only Mediterranean tournament that is exclusively dedicated to the imperial needlefish.
As such, the organiser says it represents an ideal venue for marine engines to promote the performance characteristics that are required for this type of activity, such as power, durability, and low fuel consumption.
The competition – organised by the Porto Rotondo Yacht Club Fishing Division – saw 14 boats with about 50 crew members compete.
After identifying, hunting, hooking and fighting, the catching phase of the process involves attaching a satellite tag linked to the Mediterranean Spearfish Project of the IGFA (International Game Fishing Association) to the fish to monitor their movements.
The imperial needlefish, a migratory pelagic species related to the marlin, swims in deep waters where it hunts for bluefish, such as anchovies, sardines, and sardinella. It can reach two meters in length and 30 kilos in weight.
The contest was won by the Velociraptor crew on the Tiara 42 boat, with four imperial needlefish.
“It was an honour for me to recognise the participants in this tournament that combines sport and scientific research in what is the most important offshore trolling event of the 2020 season in Sardinia and, I would even dare to say, at an international level,” says Sandro Onofaro, director of the YCPR Fishing Division, the fishing division of the Porto Rotondo Yacht Club, who presented the awards
“The goal is to learn the genetic characteristics and the migratory and behavioural habits of the imperial needlefish thanks to the most refined and modern technology available today and to develop the largest genetic database of the species,” says says Massimo Brogna, trustee of the IGFA and coordinator of the Mediterranean Spearfish Project.
“This will allow us to accurately determine the endemic species, verify the presence of other species of imperial needlefish in the Mediterranean, and compare them with the typical species of the Atlantic.”
