Family astonished at landing 100kg marlin near Kāpiti Island

Keith Breuer (left), and his son Ethan Breuer, 27, were surprised to land this 100kg striped marlin near Kāpiti Island on Saturday morning. Photo / Megan Adair

• A family fishing trip on the Kapiti Coast on Saturday landed something a little bigger than snapper: a 100kg striped marlin
• The marlin took 27-year-old Ethan Breuer around an hour and plenty of muscle-power to haul in
• It’s among a spate of unusual marlin catches in the area, prompting theories that the big billfish are being drawn closer to our coasts in search of food

A family’s fishing outing near Kapiti Island took an unexpected turn when a 100kg striped marlin snagged the line – the latest in a mysterious spate of “unheard of” catches in the area.

The surprise haul has prompted theories among experts that the big billfish – known to prefer warmer waters - may be venturing closer to our coasts in search of food.

On Saturday morning, Waikanae man Ethan Breuer, along with fiance Megan Adair and parents Keith and Jenny Breuer, set off on his father’s boat Kay Jay in search of snapper.

After catching some near Peka Peka, they headed to deeper waters to see if they might land something a little larger.

“We put out some marlin and tuna lures, and we’d only been trawling them behind the boat for 15 or 20 minutes when we hooked this one,” Ethan said.

“We weren’t even sure whether it was a marlin, a shark or tuna – but when we saw it do a big jump out of the water, we knew exactly what it was.”

Bringing the massive fish in proved an hour-long battle for the 27-year-old, whose gimbal belt soon snapped under the strain.

“I didn’t have the luxury of a harness to give my arms a rest ... they were absolutely buggered.”

Back at Waikanae, the monster catch soon drew groups of curious locals.

A Waikanae family were surprised to land a 100kg striped marlin on Saturday morning. Pictured, from left, are Jenny and Keith Breuer, their son Ethan, and his fiance Megan Adair. Photo / Ethan Breuer

“There were so many people standing on the boat trailer just wanting to have a look at it, and when we got it out to weigh it, they were that excited about it, it was crazy.”

The marlin’s hefty size wasn’t too far out of the ordinary – the species typically weigh around 90kg in New Zealand waters – but landing one off the Kāpiti Coast most certainly was.

“They don’t normally come this far south,” said Ethan, who’s been left with 50kg of meat to smoke.

The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council’s Mike Plant said the catch was “definitely rare” for the area – even if marlin had been found as far south as Jackson Bay, on the South Island’s West Coast.

It was among a handful of recent marlin hauls – another was just reported off Foxton – in what appeared to be a stand-out season.

“Five of them being caught around there, around the same time, is unheard of.”

He put it down to a mix of factors including calmer seas, warmer currents, better technology and potential shortages in food supply – with some marlin exhibiting “mushy” flesh like that recently found in starved snapper.

“This is speculation on my behalf, but I believe these marlins are coming in a lot closer to try to secure a feed – and we are seeing ones up north that are really hungry.”

Jamie Morton is a specialist in science and environmental reporting. He joined the Herald in 2011 and writes about everything from conservation and climate change to natural hazards and new technology.

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