In a bid to boost the Tasmanian Game Fishing Tourism industry, both the state and federal government are providing funding to local businesses in order to help them get started.

Swordfish, or Billfish in general are one of the most highly prized of all game fish in the world. Found just off the continental shelf at depths between 600m and the surface, Swordfish are notoriously hard to catch, and recreational anglers spend tens of the thousands of dollars trying.

But locals in Tasmania know how to do it, and while they won’t guarantee you’ll catch anything, they reckon you’re in for a good chance if you take along a guide.

"They would be pretty much called the Mount Everest of recreational fishing," explains Dr Sean Tracey, of the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS).

"You have to go a long way out, you have to really work on your technique and get your baits right and get your gear right and that's just to actually hook one, and then it's a real skill to actually get them up to the boat as well.”

Swordfish will be back in Tasmania early next year, and if the proposed Recreational Fishery can be set up in time tourists will be flying in from all over the world for their chance to hook the fish of a lifetime.

To catch a swordfish, anglers drop a line to a depth of around 600m with a light attached to the end. There’s some other stuff to it, and in no way is landing one easy, but once the swordfish is hooked, it’s up to the angler to haul it in. Fighting a swordfish is likened to fighting a Marlin, except bigger, and better.

The Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies will be tracking the fish, and if released the Swordfish caught in the Recreational Fishery will provide some incredibly valuable research on their behavior and migration patterns in the waters around Tasmania.

This fishery is expected to be opened early next year, so start thinking about how you’re going to get down there and land your catch of a lifetime…

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