Promoting catch and release (c’n’r) fishing is often used as a management tool in recreational fisheries to allow anglers to enjoy the activity while minimising impact on fish populations. The motivations of anglers are complex and often vary from fishery to fishery complicating the task of promoting c’n’r. One of the world’s oldest offshore, recreational fisheries, the Australian east coast marlin fishery has shifted from a mostly capture to mostly c’n’r fishery. This study surveyed over 300 anglers online and personally interviewed 17 experienced anglers to identify what may have driven this change. Overall, most surveyed anglers suggested that they were less likely to capture marlin now than they used to be, and that the main reasons they would capture a marlin were if it died while hooked, to weigh at tournaments (mostly the larger blue marlin) or to consume. Interviewed anglers suggested that this change occurred in the 1980s, with growing care and concern for the fishery paired with the adoption of the NSW DPI Gamefish tagging program (which provided a competition friendly alternative to capture) being the main reasons for the shift towards c’n’r. The results highlight how perception about a fishery and the introduction of a tagging program can help shift anglers towards c’n’r fishing. Since most fish are tagged and released, and fight associated mortality the main reason anglers would keep a fish, improving post release survival may be more effective than promoting c’n’r within this fishery.