The Big Marlin in Cairns
Cairns is a famous city on the east coast, Far North Queensland. It is home to the coastlines of the marlin-rich Coral Sea, where some of the world’s largest black marlin have been caught. The city also has an enormous marlin sculpture to match its heritage and reputation as a hub of marlin fishing.
Location of the Big Marlin
The Big Marlin is located at the parking lot of Stockland Shopping Center in Earlville, Cairns. Although the huge sculpture doesn’t have so much publicity, real marlins caught on the coastlines of Cairns have made headlines more than once.
Here’s a short history of marlin fishing in Cairns.
The Discovery of Marlins in Cairns
In the 1960s, local Cairns fishermen often caught a variety of fish while scaling the numerous reefs and corals on the inner parts of the Great Barrier Reef. Young black marlins were among the species of fish caught within these waters.
But no fisherman dared to go fishing past the Great Reef Barrier until two biologists explored the waters during a study for the Japanese longline fishery statistics. The study later discovered numerous enormous black marlins.
Impressed by the Japanese report, George Bransford, an American captain stationed in Cairns, was determined to make a huge catch. So he invested in building a game boat and all the equipment strong enough to bait such a beast.
After months of trials, failure and broken boats, he finally caught a giant marlin weighing 1,064 pounds which instantly became the new IGFA world record holder.
Not long after this big catch, Cairns became the hub for sport fishing and marlin catching sprees. Cairns has received prominent people and business tycoons worldwide thanks to the marlins, such as former US president Jimmy Carter. And since Bransford’s catch, larger marlins have been discovered in these waters.
More Fish-Inspired Big Things of Australia
Australian waters are home to countless fish species, which are also well represented in the list of famous Big Things. Some examples include:
- The Big Murray Cod in Tacumwal, NSW.
- The 3 Big Barramundi of Australia.
The Big Fish in Manilla, NSW.
