SYDNEY, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- A 650-kilogram black marlin has been reeled in by fishermen off Australia's North-East coast.

At an official 649.87 kg, the giant fish is estimated to be 15 years old. Although it's short of the 707 kg world record, it's the largest caught in Australia in over 30 years.

After making the thrilling catch on Friday, the group came under fire for killing the fish and posing with it in photos.

However, the group said that the fish died during the struggle, which is unusual, and have defended bringing the fish back to shore, stating that normally they would have tagged it for scientific study and released it back into the wild.

"We are not all about killing awesome creatures, that's for sure," angler Rob Crane told local media.

"We have caught plenty before and tagged and released them, but we just thought this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Rob said.

Black marlins are one of the largest types of marlin and are among the fastest fish in the world, with a swimming speed of over 100 km per hour.