East Africa is a Mecca for deep-sea fishermen, many world and all-Africa records being held in Kenya. There are six types of billfish in Kenyan waters, striped, blue and black marlin being the main species together with sailfish, swordfish, sharks, wahoo, yellowfin, tuna and dorado. Kenya operates a ‘tag and release' system. Boats typically depart in the early morning, trawl for bait and then head out to the deep water to wait for the big catch. The fishing season is August to March (billfish season from November to March).