Marlin Banned-O

Fisherfolk angle to keep marlin off of menus

Hoping to smack down commercial fishing operations that are decimating Pacific marlin populations, sports anglers have launched a "No Marlin on the Menu!" campaign to discourage diners from ordering the popular game fish. To preserve marlin populations, many sportsfolk keep just one fish per day, per boat, but commercial fisherfolk have not been so scrupulous. "We have decided to take it to the next level, an aggressive, proactive stance where we will have a lot of media brought to the attention of the status of the species, and then start with mailings and advertisements," says the president of angling group Billfish Foundation, who expects the campaign to be in full force by summer. It's already getting off the, um, ocean bottom in marlin-rich Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where commercial boats often scoop up game fish as bycatch in their shark hunt. Activists are pushing for a ban on the sale of Pacific marlin in Mexico; it's a long shot, but hey, at least there's the thrill of the chase.