Known around the world as “Johnno” this man has achieved remarkable angling feats and has loaned his considerable organizational and business skills to furthering the Cairns black marlin fishery. For many years Johnno was an international field representative and later a trustee of the International Game Fish Association. In these roles, he mixed with some of the most influential movers and shakers in the sport and kept Cairns and Australian interests at the forefront.

Johnno commenced fishing at Cairns right at the start and visited annually for over 30 years, including operating his own vessel for several seasons.

Much of what has been achieved at Cairns, and on the Great Barrier Reef, happened because Johnno worked quietly in the background to ensure that ethical and sportsmanlike standards were maintained.

John Johnston is reputed to be the only person to have ever caught four different species of game fish weighing more than 1000 pounds (453 kilograms): a black marlin of the Great Barrier Reef, a great white shark off Kangaroo Island, tiger shark off Moreton Island, Australia and a Bluefin tuna off Prince Edward Island Canada.