The Skillie Project: Tagging White Marlin with the Billfish Foundation

This past summer, I checked off a major item on my fishing bucket list: catching a white marlin on spinning tackle. I did it aboard the On The Water Skeeter 25-foot Bay Boat – not your typical billfishing vessel. The fish, one of six we spotted that day, had moved far inside the canyons, where it was feeding on halfbeaks and flying fish over the inshore waters of Southern New England.

Not much is known about these inshore marlin, other than they show up in varying numbers each summer from Block Island to Nantucket. Fishermen back in the day called them “Skillies,” a nickname for white marlin that seems entirely localized to Southern New England.

Around the time I was celebrating my catch, the folks of the Billfish Foundation – a nonprofit organization that works globally to advance the conservation of billfish through research, advocacy and education – was ramping up their initiative, “The Skillie Project.”

Through satellite tagging and working with local captains, The Skillie Project promises to teach us more than we’ve ever known about our white marlin. The efforts began in the late summer of 2024, with five marlin tagged, and will continue into 2025.  You can read more about it below:

THE BILLFISH FOUNDATION LAUNCHES LARGEST WHITE MARLIN SATELLITE TAGGING MISSION TO DATE: THE SKILLIE PROJECT

Community-Based Research Initiative Aims to Advance Conservation of an Understudied White Marlin Population off the coast of New England

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Dec. 4, 2024) – The Billfish Foundation (TBF) announces the launch of The Skillie Project, a new initiative dedicated to advancing the conservation of a white marlin population, found off the coast of southeastern New England and locally referred to as “Skillies.” Using cutting-edge satellite tagging technology, The Skillie Project hopes to gain a better understanding of one of Nantucket’s historically prized game fish and drive sustainable management practices to protect them.

Through a unique collaboration with the local fishing communities of Cape Cod and the Islands, renowned captains and fishery pioneers, leading billfish scientists, and industry sponsors, the community-driven project marks TBF’s largest white marlin satellite tagging mission to date.

The Nantucket fishery, once renowned for its swordfish, began evolving into a key habitat for white marlin in the 1980s. By the late 20th century, anglers were experiencing record numbers of these larger-than-average fish. However, their annual return has become less consistent in recent years, prompting the community to take action. A phone call to TBF in the spring of 2024 led to the creation of The Skillie Project, which quickly gained momentum.

“The Skillie Project is a testament to what can be achieved when passionate individuals, industry leaders, and the greater fishing community come together for a common cause,” said Peter Chaibongsai with The Billfish Foundation. “Drawing inspiration from the model of our successful Marlin Fly Project, the idea of a research mission – fully dedicated to understanding the migratory secrets of these elusive fish while highlighting this historic community – instantly became a reality.”

In just four months, the project quickly gained the backing of passionate stakeholders, the University of Maine’s Pelagic Science Lab, and industry-leading brands (MidAtlantic Tournament, Viking Yachts, Valhalla Boatworks, Nomadix, Costa Sunglasses, and Yeti), resulting in the donation of 17 satellite tags for its inaugural year.

Captains John Galvin and Rob Goodwin led the effort, piloting two Viking 72s – El Diablo and Scup Slayer, respectively. Building on decades of history with Nantucket’s fisheries, the duo worked with TBF, Captain Martin Scanlan, and the University of Maine to execute the tagging. Despite the challenges of an unpredictable fishery and a narrow tagging window, The Skillie Project successfully deployed five satellite tags in 2024.

“Ask anyone that’s ever fished around here, finding Skillies in the unpredictable waters of Nantucket Shoals is no easy feat, let alone catching one. Success requires a delicate balance of ideal conditions, expertise, and sheer luck. So to deploy five tags in our first season is really special and a significant step forward,” shared Capt. John Galvin of Nantucket. “This project is a remarkable example of community collaboration and scientific teamwork, and I’m confident it’s going to lead to some incredible discoveries.”

Satellite tags used for The Skillie Project are programmed to remain on the fish for eight or twelve-month durations. The data collected from these tags will provide vital insights into the fish’s migratory behavior, helping inform conservation strategies for the species’ future.

Looking ahead, The Skillie Project will continue in 2025 by deploying additional tags and analyzing the first year’s data. The research gathered will play a key role in shaping sustainable management practices, ensuring that Skillies remain a prized part of New England’s marine heritage for generations to come.

For more information on The Skillie Project, please visit www.theskillieproject.com.

ABOUT THE BILLFISH FOUNDATION

The Billfish Foundation (TBF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works globally to advance the conservation of billfish and associated highly migratory species through research, advocacy and education. Founded in 1986 by Winthrop P. Rockefeller, Dr. Eric Prince, and a group of fifty founding members, The Billfish Foundation (TBF) fosters strong billfish conservation ethics to educate anglers of all generations and provide a voice for billfish and the global recreational sport fishing industry. TBF’s Tag & Release program, which began in 1990, has grown to be the largest international private billfish tagging program with over 280,000 reports, and serves as a cornerstone of its mission. With a focus on integrating science and policy, TBF continues to be a leader in influencing effective fishery management solutions that benefit both billfish populations and the angling community. For more information, visit www.billfishfoundation.org or follow on social media @TheBillfishFoundation.

Source: https://onthewater.com/the-skillie-project-tagging-white-marlin-with-the-billfish-foundation

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