The day dawned clear and bright as we hit the water shortly after 7:00 am aboard the Silver-Rod-O. As we rounded the point to exit Piñas Bay we were greeted with a brisk 10-knot wind that was whipping up small whitecaps. We made a quick stop on Zane Grey reef to procure a couple of live skipjack tuna for live bait and proceeded offshore. Once we were 10 miles offshore we set our spread of teasers and commenced our search for a worthy billfish for a Crittercam system. At this point we had been fishing for just under a week and we had released a number of billfish but none would calm down enough to attach a Crittercam.

A Pacific sailfish goes skyward shortly before it received a Crittercam system. Photo by Sam Friedrichs.

At a round 12:30 pm, Captain Yoan started screaming “Right Teaser, right teaser, Vela, Vela!!!” This distraught set of words signaled that a Pacific sailfish had come up behind one of the teaser baits (learn more about how fishing with teasers works). As Yoan made sure to keep the teaser away from the fish, Gary Carter pitched a dead ballyhoo (a long, silver baitfish) on a circle hook into the wake. As the bait passed the teaser, the excited billfish rapidly switched on to the new offering and in a whirlwind of white water and dorsal had consumed the bait. After three seconds, Gary gently put the reel into gear and a 70-pound bronze missile erupted from the waves behind the boat. While the ultimate goal of this trip is large blue and black marlin, I do not discriminate when it comes to billfish species and this fish would mark the third deployment on a Pacific sailfish if everything went well.

A Pacific sailfish swims off into the Pacific Ocean carrying a Crittercam system. Photo by Sam Friedrichs.

In less than five minutes, Gary brought the sailfish to the back of the boat. As mate Steve Hall removed the hook, I leaned over the side and securely attached the Crittercam system just below this fish’s famous dorsal fin. Within seconds of deployment the fish was released and I bailed off the back of the boat to make sure she was doing alright. Upon release she settled down at about 10 feet. She had spread her pectoral fins and was displaying all of her colors as she slowly swam off into the blue. Confident she was released in excellent condition, I swam back to the Silver-Rod-O. Now we had an hour-and-a-half wait before the camera was set to break away from the sailfish.

A sailfish's view of the world via Crittercam. At this particular moment the fish had illuminated its stripes (lower right) reacting to something in the water off camera. Unfortunately, we never saw what caused this response (predator or prey?). Still from Crittercam video courtesy Sam Friedrichs.

Once the fish swam away from the boat, she recorded an hour and a half of free-swimming footage as she went about her life. This was the longest sailfish deployment to date and even in this short amount of time we were able to witness some amazing things that we have never seen from a billfish Crittercam.

For starters this fish showed a remarkable recovery after release. Over the course of the deployment she traversed the water column ranging from 2 feet below the waves to a depth of 125 feet. However, the defining characteristic of this recovery would be that she was reacting to her environment using body language. On a number of occasions we watched her tighten the muscles just behind her head which in turn raises the sail. In addition, she flashed full color a number of times throughout the video. This is a unique feature that all billfish possess in that they have a series of stripes that they can light up like a neon sign as a means of expressing their mood. While we weren’t able to see exactly what she was reacting to it is exciting to see all of this behavior from her point of view.  As the timer hit 2:00 pm the camera released and our parting shot was a big tail slowly carrying this healthy fish into the blue.

The crew of the Silver-Rod-O poses for a photo after the successful recovery of the sailfish Crittercam. From right to left: Gary Carter (owner), Yoan Alcala (captain), Geiner Cortes(mate) and Steve Hall (mate/wireman). Photo by Sam Friedrichs.

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National Geographic Crittercam

Depending on who you talk to, billfish are considered one of the most difficult fish to pursue with a rod and reel. Every billfish hotspot across the globe has their own methods of increasing their chances of success and Tropic Star Lodge in Panama is no exception. Regardless of the methods, this whole process starts every morning before the sun begins to crest the mountains as I find a ride out to the fertile offshore fishing grounds.

Mornings start early at Tropic Star Lodge with everybody grabbing a quick breakfast in the dark and leaving the dock as the sun is just coming up. Photo by Sam Friederichs.

I have two options: a 31-foot Bertram with lodge anglers or the 45-foot G and S Silver-Rod-O with Gary and Sherrell Carter. Both types of vessels are seaworthy and have experienced crews; the only difference is how they chase marlin. The Tropic Star Lodge boats specialize in using live bait to catch marlin where as the Silver-Rod-O specializes in what is called bait-and-switch fishing.

The marlin chasers of Zane Grey Reef. In the foreground is the 45-foot Silver-Rod-O which specializes in bait-and-switch. In the background is the Tropic Star Lodge fleet trolling live baits in search of marlin. Photo by Sam Friederichs.

To live-bait fish for marlin, the lodge boats begin every morning running out to Zane Grey reef where they catch 6-8 football-sized yellowfin or black skipjack tuna. In most other types of fishing these tunas would be considered a great catch but, when it comes to marlin fishing these 2-8 pound fish are just a bite-sized snack. Once the bait tanks are full we will run a little further offshore into about 300 feet of water. Upon arrival, three leaders with large circle hooks are prepared. These unique hooks, while large and menacing to look at, are designed to catch the marlin in the corner of the mouth ensuring that there is no internal injury to the fish. These hooks are attached the tunas in a manner which allows them to swim naturally as they are slow trolled behind the boat in an attempt to entice a marlin into biting.

The fleet from Tropic Star Lodge makes a mad dash to catch small tunas for bait and get out to the marlin fishing grounds. Photo by Sam Friederichs.

While this yellowfin tuna is considered perfect size for sashimi, in Panama they are the preferred snack for big marlin. Note the circle hook which will safely hook the fish in the corner of the mouth avoiding internal injury during the fight. Photo by Sam Friederichs.

The Silver-Rod-O uses a different approach called “bait-and-switch.” This unique method capitalizes on the fact that billfish have no fear of the boat. Instead of using live bait, these guys troll four hook-less lures called teasers. These plastic teasers give the appearance of a fleeing baitfish or squid on the surface. They are trolled in roughly the same area where the lodge boats are fishing with live bait. When a billfish sees one of the teasers he will swim right up to it and try to grab it. Right before he is able to clamp down on the teaser a mate will reel it away from him and he will follow it towards the boat. As the fish swims towards the boat, an angler will drop a baited circle hook into the wake. As the bait approaches the incoming teaser with hungry billfish in pursuit, the teaser is yanked towards the boat so the thing the billfish has left to chase is the hook bait which the angler will allow them to eat.

This is a depiction of the bait-and-switch technique with a mahi-mahi. The process is the same with a billfish only the strike is a lot faster. Photo by Sam Friederichs.

The strike of a large marlin is so fast that if you blink you will miss it. Even at 1/1000th of second my camera was only able to register the lit up tail of this 400-pound blue marlin. Photo by Sam Friederichs.

Once a billfish is hooked, the angler will proceed to bring the fish to the boat in the quickest way possible. Contrary to popular belief, the act of catching a billfish quickly is not a matter of brute strength but rather a combination of angler skill and boat handling. The boat will actually chase the fish in reverse allowing the angler to gain line on the reel. When the fish gets close a mate will grab the heavy leader and bring the fish to the boat where he will grab its bill and remove the hook. Once this occurs I lean over the side and attach the Crittercam in the cartilage below the dorsal fin. The fish is then revived and released to film its world under the waves.

Whether live baiting with small tunas or using bait-and-switch, this is the sight we want to see shortly before we deploy a Crittercam system. Photo by Sam Friederichs.

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National Geographic Crittercam

The day has finally arrived! After smooth flights last night and a couple hours of sleep, the Silver-Rod-O pulled out of its slip at 7:30 am en route to Tropic Star Lodge. Normally, this journey is undertaken via a small aircraft which ushers you over the jungles of the Darien. This expedition however, we get to partake in the only other method of transport to Piñas Bay: boat. This allowed us to get a sense of what we were heading into. Chasing large pelagics (open ocean fish) requires a long run from Panama City to find deep water which resulted in us motoring 40 miles offshore after weaving our way through the Panama Canal traffic. Once over deep water we proceeded to troll our way along the continental shelf which attracts a multitude of ocean life.

A stout 250-pound blue marlin was an excellent way to kick off the expedition. With all the Crittercams stowed, we resorted to photos and videos.

Within an hour and a half, Captain Yoan started screaming, “Left teaser, left teaser!!!” This signaled that a marlin had located our hook-less lures. As these lures were brought to the boat, a dead bait with a large circle hook was sent back. In the fish’s repeated attacks on the teasers, he failed to realize that all of the colorful lures he had been chasing were gone only leaving a hook bait. With the same ferocity he proceeded to inhale the bait and in short order a stout 250-pound Pacific blue marlin was dancing across the surface of the water. After his initial aerial displays he sounded, resulting in a calculated game of tug-of-war between the angler, Gary Carter, and this impressive fish. In the span of 35 minutes, Gary was able to best the marlin bringing it to the leader where it put on one final show right next to the boat as it straightened the hook and sped off into the blue. Not a bad way to start the expedition. Had the Crittercams not been safely stowed for the trip to the lodge, this fish would have made the perfect candidate for a deployment but, I will settle for photos and video.

We are not the only traveling boat that has made its way to Pinas Bay in search of marlin.

The remainder of the afternoon yielded a feisty Pacific sailfish and a couple of mahi-mahi. Over the course of the afternoon, we came into radio range of Tropic Star’s fishing fleet. It seemed that their luck had changed today and anglers on multiple boats were reporting blue marlin releases. This is why we have come here and based on the conditions we may have timed it just right to be here when the fish pass through. As we motored our way into Piñas Bay at the end of the day we finally caught sight of our destination. Nestled in the mouth of the bay surrounded by rainforest on all sides is  Tropic Star Lodge. As you pull in and look around at the forested hillsides you finally realize how far removed from civilization you are at that moment.  This is a truly wild place that owes its existence to these great fish and as I start to prepare the Crittercams, I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Situated right on the shores of Pinas Bay, Tropic Star Lodge almost blends in with the surrounding rainforest.

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National Geographic Crittercam

A 400-pound black marlin launches itself from the waters surrounding Tropic Star Lodge in this multiple-exposure shot. This species is known for jumping straight into the air. It is an impressive experience to watch a 10-foot fish go airborne for seconds at a time. Photo by Sam Friederichs.

Commonly referred to as swordfish, billfish are actually a group of 11 different species (not including swordfish, proper) that can grow to 14 feet long and close to 2,000 pounds. Roaming thousands of miles of open ocean in search of food and defending themselves from real-life versions of JAWS is just another day at the office for these amazing fish, but they are ill-equipped to handle our desire for seafood. As a result of billfish being caught on lines intended for swordfish and tuna, populations worldwide are on the decline. To effectively conserve these species we need to know more about their lives out in the open ocean.

The Darien region of Panama has no roads. Not even the Pan-American highway dares penetrate its depths. Plane or boat is the only way in and a major reason why so many large marlin prowl the waters offshore of Tropic Star Lodge. Photo by Sam Friederichs.

Enter Crittercam. For the next two weeks, the National Geographic Crittercam program will be heading down to Tropic Star Lodge in the remote jungles of Panama to unlock the secret lives of billfish. Catch-and-release anglers flock to this remote jungle outpost every year to test their strength against giant black and blue marlin, happy to watch the fish swim away to be caught again another day. The difference now is that during our project, these fish will swim away wearing Crittercams.

A large blue marlin prepares to be released. On it's back rides a Crittercam system. These unique cameras will record the marlin's point of view in full HD as well as it's dive depth and preferred temperatures. Photo by Sam Friederichs.

These unique cameras will allow the marlin to film their lives away from human influence. The cameras also carry a tiny data pill which records depth and temperature allowing researchers to get a picture of the marlin’s entire life. In this way, we hope to learn about behaviors that have never been witnessed by humans (such as breeding), but are vital for billfish conservation. This information will also help improve catch-and-release fishing practices to ensure that these fish will roam the oceans for generations to come.

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National Geographic Crittercam