Last March, Californian Bob Kurz, a trustee with the International Game Fish Association, and his IGFA rep wife Sally took an important step to advance billfish science around the world: they implanted …
Sea lions sprawled on park benches barking at human passersby. Hundreds of marine iguanas standing around spitting salt. Tiny baby booby birds only inches from a walking trail. Just a few of the images …
By: MB Roberts, Author and Freelance Writer Guy Harvey Outpost’s first photo safari to the Galapagos Islands is coming up May4-12, 2017. Country music superstar Ronnie Dunn (one half of the hit making …
26 Feb 2018 11:48 am
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![](mailto:?subject=Great Marlin Race May Come to Galapagos&body=Last March, Californian Bob Kurz, a trustee with the International Game Fish Association, and his IGFA rep wife Sally took an important step to advance billfish science around the world: they implanted a striped marlin with a pop-off satellite tag while fishing around Ecuador's <a href="https://guyharveyoutpost.com/adventure/outpost-adventures/expeditions/galapagos-big-game-fishing/">Galapagos Islands</a>.
The tag, scheduled to detach from the fish's dorsal fin after 240 days, was the first to be implanted in a billfish in the remote Pacific islands as part of the IGFA's Great Marlin Race. Since the IGFA took over the international tournament-within-a-tournament in 2011, some 350 satellite tags have been deployed in billfish in 22 countries. The tags record fish tracks in real time, including depth, temperature and other data, then relays them to a satellite which beams the information to researchers at California's Stanford University. Anglers buy the $4,500 tags and receive special recognition for the distances their tagged fish travel.
Sally Kurz caught the striper, estimated at 200 pounds, while trolling lures on the sport fishing boat Vertigo from the Galapagos Planet Hotel, a <a href="https://guyharveyoutpost.com/lodging/out-island-lodges/">Guy Harvey Outpost Lodge</a> on <a href="https://guyharveyoutpost.com/lodging/out-island-lodges/galapagos/san-cristobal/">San Cristobal Island</a>. The couple also caught and released numerous yellowfin tuna. They were accompanied by a representative of the Galapagos National Park.
"They liked what we were doing," Bob Kurz said of park officials. "They are very interested in learning more about the billfish that frequent the Galapagos."
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/tag.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4901" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/tag.jpg" alt="" width="3264" height="2448" /></a>
Kurz was so encouraged by the park's receptiveness that he is putting together a proposal to hold the first formal Great Marlin Race Tournament in the Galapagos in January 2019. He says that's prime time for catching stripers as well as blue and black marlin around the islands.
"Wherever you have a species, you try to deploy tags in as many different places as you can," Kurz said.
For example, Kurz said, tagging data helps solve mysteries such as why the average striper caught in California weighs about 140 pounds while fish over 300 pounds are common in New Zealand-- "whether they are separate and distinct populations," he said.
The tagging data also helps scientists inform fisheries managers who are hammering out policies to conserve billfish, such as time-and-area closures, gear restrictions and other measures.
"It's a citizen science program," Kurz said. "Very exciting for people who enjoy fishing for marlin."
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You don't have to wait for the next Great Marlin Race to fish for billfish in Galapagos. Book your lodging and fishing with Galapagos Planet, a Guy Harvey Outpost Expedition Lodge at <a href="https://www.guyharveyoutpost.com">www.guyharveyoutpost.com</a> or call 1-800-513-5257.
To learn more about the Great Marlin Race, visit <a href="https://www.igfa.org">www.igfa.org</a>. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/great-marlin-race-may-come-to-galapagos/){kind=link}
![](mailto:?subject=Galapagos: Islands of Eye-Popping Photo Ops&body=Sea lions sprawled on park benches barking at human passersby. Hundreds of marine iguanas standing around spitting salt. Tiny baby booby birds only inches from a walking trail.
Just a few of the images from the highlight reels of a handful of avid wildlife photographers who joined Guy Harvey Outpost's inaugural May photo safari to the Galapagos Islands.
"I'm gonna go again for sure," said country music star Ronnie Dunn of the Brooks & Dunn duo. "It was super fun. Full of surprises."
The expedition was led by veteran Sports Illustrated photographer Ron Modra who served as both guide and mentor to the group. But Modra said he didn't have to do too much mentoring.
"Everybody we had on the trip was fairly well accomplished," Modra said. "I think they got some really great stuff. I didn't let them leave a location until everybody had what they wanted."
Unlike guided cruise ship expeditions to the Pacific islands about 600 miles off Ecuador, this itinerary was land-based and covered five islands in eight days. The photographers stayed in hotels at night, traveled by boat to the islands, and hiked and snorkeled at their own pace to obtain the images they wanted.
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Booby-babies.jpg"><img class="wp-image-4801 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Booby-babies.jpg" alt="" width="2100" height="1400" /></a>Photo: Diana Calleja
Naples, FL photographer Diana Calleja got many great shots of boobies, frigate birds, iguanas, and sea lions, but one image she coveted eluded her: the tropicbird, noted for its bright red bill and long, white-feathered tail.
"It's just magnificent. They are so fast. I'd like to go back maybe next year and get that shot," Calleja said.
Calleja's trip got off to an unfortunate start; on the second day, a broken strap plunged her camera into the ocean. Only the memory card was spared.
"I was just devastated," she said. "But everyone said, 'no, no' -- we have equipment for you."
And for the remainder of the trip, using borrowed gear from her fellow shooters, Calleja scored nearly everything she wanted--lying flat on a path between lava rocks to get photos of baby boobies; swimming with sea lions "just doing this ballet around you"; tripping over her own feet when a mama sea lion scolded her for getting to close to a baby.
"I was well clear," she said. "We all had a good laugh."
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/steve2.jpg"><img class="wp-image-4802 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/steve2.jpg" alt="" width="1680" height="1120" /></a>Photo: Steve Martine
The Galapagos revealed itself in different ways to all the photographers. Dunn was flipping through some images one night and nearly deleted one he had shot from a cliff while trying to capture birds in flight. But upon closer examination, he discovered he had captured a superb image of a large rock covered with marine iguanas, including one he said looked like Godzilla.
"There's stuff hidden in the rocks all over the place," Dunn marveled. "You almost need a spotter when you're looking through the lens: 'Hey! Coming in at 2 o'clock!'"
Dunn was enchanted by the rich diversity of wildlife -- from the colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs perched on the rocks to the sea lions reclining on park benches.
"I thought I'd sneak over by one and he jumps up and barks at me," Dunn said. "The big males are doing that alpha thing all the time. They look like they're trying to kill each other, but they're not."
Dunn owns a warehouse in Nashville, Tennessee's arts district where he's putting together the Lensmen Project-- a gallery of nature photography by travelling shooters. He said the Galapagos trip spurred him to get serious about it.
Improving his skills with Modra, he said, is "like getting to paint with Picasso. And Ron is great fun."
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Guy Harvey Outpost will mount a second land-based Galapagos photo safari led by Ron Modra October 29-Nov. 5. For complete details, pricing and reservations, visit <a href="http://www.guyharveyoutpost.com">www.guyharveyoutpost.com</a> or call the travel desk at 800-513-5257. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/galapagos-islands-of-eye-popping-photo-ops/){kind=link}
 is among the wildlife-seekers who will be making this bucket list trip. “Have camera, will travel,” laughs Dunn, who these days is as passionate about his photography as he is about his music. “I get as much satisfaction and enjoyment from photography as I do stepping on stage,” he says. “I really do! I’ve steadily kept a camera in my hand over the years and now I can almost get off a decent picture. I’m ready to take it to the next level.”
Dunn has put his camera to work in many scenic spots, including Africa and Santa Fe, New Mexico. This will be his first trip to the Galapagos but not the first time he has worked with Ron Modra, the longtime Sports Illustrated and travel/outdoor photographer who will be leading the adventure. “Getting to follow Ron around with a camera is like learning to paint with Picasso,” he says. “I’ve taken this is as far as I can with trial and error. I want to make this trip and get his feedback right away. That’s how you learn to use a camera.”
<a href="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/blog.jpg"><img class="wp-image-4562 size-full" src="https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/blog.jpg" alt="NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 17: during an NHL game at Bridgestone Arena on December 17, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***" width="2100" height="1247" /></a>Ron Modra and Ronnie Dunn capturing the action at an NHL game in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
Dunn and Modra met back in the late 1990s, collaborated on a few projects – a tour book, a book, an album cover shoot – then mostly got busy with their separate careers. They’ve recently reconnected due to their mutual love of photography, getting together to shoot sporting events and currently, they’re working on opening a gallery to show their work. “Ronnie has a great eye,” says Modra. “And he’s got a passion for photography that’s really motivating to me.”
According to Modra, who has travelled all over the world shooting the Olympics, track and field events, races, fishing tournaments, and much more, the Galapagos is a dream location. “It’s unspoiled, so different from anyplace I’ve ever been,” he says. “You have to see it. The perfect illustration of showing and not telling.”
There’s still space available on the 9-day/8-night Galapagos Photo Safari Adventure for anyone who’s always wanted to see this exotic place and train your camera on magnificent Galapagos tortoises, blue-footed boobies, sea turtles, sea lions, and more. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.GHOGalapagos.com">www.GHOGalapagos.com</a> or call the Outpost Travel Desk at 800-513-5257. https://guyharveyoutpostblog.com/country-music-superstar-ronnie-dunn-joins-photo-safari-to-galapagos/){kind=link}
TRAVEL DESK : 800.513.5257
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