Tagged albacore tuna sets new record
Over nine years at liberty for a tagged albacore tuna that swam from Jervis Bay, NSW, to the tip of New ZealandAn albacore tuna released by Nowra Sport Fishing Club boat, Iceberg, in 2008 has just been recaptured… off New Zealand!
The fish was measured at 70cm and estimated to weigh around 7kg when tagged by Mitchell Preston while fishing the Jervis Bay Canyons, NSW, on November 8, 2008.
After an amazing 3434 days at liberty, on April 4, 2018, a NZ commercial longliner recaptured the albacore while fishing off the North Eastern tip of New Zealand.
The fish was 1227 nautical miles (2272km) from its original release spot.
The albacore had grown to 1m in length and an estimated 20kg during its 9 years and 7 months at liberty.
This recapture marks the longest time at liberty recorded for an albacore tuna released under the NSW Game Fish Tagging Program and eclipses the previous record of 2567 days held by an albacore that was recaptured wide of Eden in 2004.
You can read more impressive fish-tagging news with this search on our sites.
More information on the NSW DPI Game Fish Tagging Program.
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