Marlin October 2023

Offshore wind-energy installations—wind farms—are expanding along the East Coast of the United States as a way to increase the use of renewable energy, but these installations are not without their own significant impacts on marine resources and their associated fisheries. They have innocuous-sounding names such as Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind, Mayflower Wind Phase 1 and Park City Wind. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is the federal agency responsible for offshore-energy exploration and development in the US. To date, BOEM has leased approximately 1.7 million acres in the northeast and mid-Atlantic US outer continental shelf for offshore wind development, with approximately 25 active leases from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras. And in late August, BOEM and the Department of the Interior announced that they will hold the first offshore wind-energy…

editor@marlinmag.com IN MEMORIAM: CAPT. BILLY BAUM Capt. William Somers Baum, a native of Wanchese, North Carolina, crossed the bar for the last time on July 6, in Stuart, Florida. He was born in his family home on Baumtown Road in 1927 and enjoyed a lengthy sport-fishing career of more than 50 years, spending his summers chartering out of Oregon Inlet and the winters in Stuart, Florida. With a considerable knowledge of boatbuilding, and the fishing industry in general, he built many of his own boats, such as Kay, Jo-Girl, Playmate, and a series of boats named Dream Girl. In fact, Baum retired from charter fishing in 2004 but still owned the 57-foot Dream Girl, skippered by Capt. Jason Snead out of Oregon Inlet. Among his most memorable fishing trips were…

POWER SURGE Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is known for big black marlin and often sporty sea conditions. Photographer Kelly Dalling Fallon experienced both on the first day of the 2022 season out of Cairns, when Heath Irvine got to pull on this healthy fish. “It was the second of a doubleheader off Escape Reef,” Fallon says. “The first we caught quickly, but this one took us just a bit longer.” LOCATION Fallon was fishing aboard Kekoa with her husband, Capt. Luke Fallon. TECH SPECS CAMERA: Canon EOS 7D LENS: Canon EF 18-200mm ISO: 640 APERTURE: f/9 SPEED: 1/1000 sec…

Born in a small town in northern Canada, Ashley Bretecher moved to Costa Rica with her family in 1996. Prior to starting her university studies, she briefly worked for Los Sueños Resort and Marina in 2001. She departed a few months later, studying international relations and languages, intending to return to Canada to continue her studies. While saving for the move, she returned to Los Sueños as an assistant to the receptionist in the marina office. More than two decades later, she is now marina and communications director, as well as tournament director of the prestigious Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown tournament series. M What does a typical day look like? Busy! I oversee the marina, including slip requests and assignments, and I work with our team of about 30…

WHERE OCTOBER is a time for those with an adventurous streak to hit the international circuit. The Canary Islands will see good blue marlin fishing, while South Africa’s surf-launched boats should also have fast action for blues and blacks. Closer to home, look no further than the well-known Florida Keys outpost of Islamorada, where daytime deep-dropping for swordfish reigns supreme. + BITE TRACKER Stay current with the best bites from the top billfish destinations around the globe at marlinmag.com/travel.…

GRUNDÉNS_WOMEN’S SHOREBREAK HOODIE The feel of cotton with the performance of synthetics—with an airy, comfortable and quick-drying fabric—the Grundéns Shorebreak hoodie has a polyester/cotton knit blend that dries four times faster than cotton alone, plus permanent Freshguard odor protection and UPF 30 sun protection. The upper yoke is a woven ripstop polyester blend for extra durability when layered under bib straps, with the added benefit of light wind and weather protection. There’s even a scuba-style snap-closure hood. grundens.com FIN-NOR_SPORTFISHER With Lateral Line lens technology engineered to enhance sight without distortion, the new Sportfishers are designed to decrease blue-light transmission and glare for exceptional vision in foggy, hazy, and sunny conditions. An oleophobic/hydrophobic coating on both sides of the lens reduces smudging, dust and spray to prevent permanent scratching; a multilayer…