With all the hookups this season, we got or mermaid practicing on retrieving those bluefin that just might otherwise have got away.  She’s working her way up to the giants – perhaps by next year.

Delivery with a smile – Good fishing to you!
While we cannot deliver every bluefin tuna this way, we’ll certain try to deliver  the best bluefin tuna experience possible.   Call Tuna Hunter at 978-407-1351 or captain@tunahunter.com to join us!

Last week we had a string of small-medium bluefin, just the right size for tag and release, or, to take home for some (lots) of sushi as the Thomas Chase party can attest. They caught this beauty on the morning tide on live bait. A great way to start off a fishing charter ~ get a big one in the boat early.

 Tuna Hunter will continue bluefin tuna charters as long as the tuna are here, through October and into November at least.  We have a few openings left, plus some shared charters OCt 23, 24, 25.  Call 978-407-1351 or captain@tunahunter.com to join us for your fattie.

While June seems far away, it is less than one month away to bluefin tuna season!  Are you ready? Tuna Hunter is set to target bluefin tuna as soon as the season opens on June 1st. We are ready to haul in more 800 lb fish, like this beauty, one of two giants boated that day.

Between now and June 1st, there is plenty of fishing – cod and haddock fishing now (go this year, while regulations still allow for good catches) and striped bass fishing in a week or two as the hugies migrate up from New Jersey, when catches are phenomenal this season so far.

A followup on our tag recapture – we go photos of that tuna’s brother, who we did keep that day, and made many persons happy with sushi and tuna steaks.

Tuna Hunter and angler Nick Dobrowolski just received word of a tuna tag recapture – something we always hope for but don’t often get to see.

A bluefin tuna we tagged in 2008, caught by angler Nick Dobrowolski, was recaptured one its way across the Atlantic (or on its way back?) over 2000 miles from the original capture location. The fish almost doubled in weight in 5 1/2 years.

The stats in this recapture notice tell the story:

Bluefin Tuna Tag Recapture Report - Click for larger image

This proves that western Atlantic fish indeed do migrate west-to-east, and not just north-south as older science believed. Such tagging information is essential for scientists to help ensure the future of our fishery, and has a huge impact on international and domestics quota determination.

This tag was one of the Tag-a-Tiny Program tags of by the Large Pelagic Research Center, now located in Gloucester, MA.  Tuna Hunter supports the Tag-A-Ting Program and assists with tagging for all species, not just tuna. We need to give back a bit to support sustainable fisheries.

Oddly enough, this lucky tag was inserted on a Tag-A-Tiny Tournament weekend, contributing to Captain Gary Cannell and Tuna Hunter winning the Grand Champion award for most fish tagged and caught that weekend.  Though I cannot read that tag number, this photo, from Sept 20, 2008, could be that fish!