News & Events

Bluewater anglers from throughout the southeastern New England fishery are being asked to join the Skillie Project to help tag as many white marlins as possible this summer for ongoing research into this species and to help ensure its sustainability long into the future.

Oyster Harbors Marine, along with two of our brands, Viking and Valhalla Yachts, is fully supporting this project and encourages all of our fishing customers to join in this effort.

Approximately six weeks a year, the population of white marlin, known locally as “Skillie” move into the shallower waters of the Nantucket Shoals. Skillies have long been a popular species to fish for local deepwater anglers, but both fishermen and scientists have noted an inconsistency in the catch from year to year.

In the interest of understanding the species better and learning how to protect it better for the future of the fishery, local captains and scientists at the University of Maine asked The Billfish Foundation in 2024 to help launch a community-based, collaborative satellite tagging project for this species. In the first year, last summer, 17 tags were donated and local captains succeeded in tagging five Skillies.

This summer will be the first full summer for the Skillie Project, and all local captains who pursue Skillies are asked to request tagging kits and have them onboard.

Fish captured on rod and reel are brought to the boat and carefully implanted with a satellite tag while in the water. Fish are then released and for the next eight to twelve months, the tag will record data about the fish: light levels, depth pressure, and ambient water temperature, all of which allow scientists to gather precise location estimates for each day of the tag’s employment. Once the tag reaches its programmed time limit, it detaches and floats to the surface where the tag transmits real-time data to satellites, which is sent to researchers for analysis.

“We at Oyster Harbors Marine are fully supporting the Skillie Project,” said Michael Gisch, general manager. “Two of our brand partners, Viking and Valhalla, are supporting partners in this project, and we’re excited to join them in supporting this important cause. If any of our customers who fish for Skillies want to apply for a tagging kit, call us and we’ll contact the Skillie Project.”