Southern Bluefin Tuna recaptured after six years
This bluefin tuna was at liberty for six years, growing from 15kg to 60kg but where did it swim?Pretty much every offshore sport and game fisho in NSW has been bemoaning the lack of Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT) off the South Coast this 2017. It's been patchy at best, but there is some good news with a recaptured tuna in mid-July following six years at liberty.
The SBT was originally tagged in June 2011 when NSW experienced a bumper fishing season off the tuna port of Bermagui. The SBT was tagged by Bermagui Big Game Angler Club boat, Mr Hooker, and was estimated at 15kg.
When this SBT was recaught six years later the fish weighed about 60kg. It was recaptured by a longliner fishing approximately 140km due east of Merimbula not far from its initial release point.
As NSW Fisheries says, on paper this doesn’t look as if the fish had moved very far. But it’s certain that the tuna did in fact cover huge distances in this time, travelling through the cool ocean currents that the tuna favours.
The NSW DPI Game Fish Tagging Program has had SBT recaptured as far away as South Africa, with a fish having swum a straight line distance of more than 5400 nautical miles from its original release location on the East coast of Tasmania.
This article was compiled with information from the NSW DPI Game Fishing Tagging Program.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
