In the 1980s the public and recreational fishers raised concerns about excessive numbers of striped marlin being caught by commercial fishers as non-target catch in the tuna longline fishery. In 1987 the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club alongside the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council advocated for the government to protect striped marlin from the ongoing commercial exploitation. The then Minister for Fisheries, Colin Moyle, later announced a 3-year moratorium to prohibit commercial fishers taking striped marlin for sale in the Auckland Fisheries Management Area, between North Cape and East Cape.