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A nearly 700-pound bluefin tuna found in the waters off the coast of Texas shocked anglers who struggled for two hours to reel in the rare catch, breaking a fishing rod in the process.
Captain Tim Oestreich had been out off Port Aransas in Texas with a crew from deep water fishing charter Dolphin Docks Deep Sea Fishing, trying to troll marlin when they reeled in the enormous fish on March 24.
The line caught the 676-pound bluefin during the 56-hour trip, Houston news outlet Chron reported.
"It took two hours to reel in the bluefin, and it ultimately broke the rod," Oestreich told Chron. "The regulations for catching bluefin in the Gulf of Mexico is strict with only one per boat. it's not common to catch one because they are targeted and that big."
After bringing the bluefin back to shore, the fish was filleted and divided between 14 customers, according to Chron.
It was not the only catch made on the trip. The anglers also reeled in a yellowfin tuna and some wahoo fish, Dolphin Docks Deep Sea Fishing said in a Facebook post, captioned "Great job anglers." One of the photos in the post shows the crew posing with the massive bluefin tuna, which is the length of five men. Another photo shows the tuna hung up for display on the dock.
Bluefin tuna is the largest tuna in the world, and measures between six and 10 feet. They can weigh up to 1,500 lbs. It's also a long-lived species and on average, the fish survive for 35 years. Bluefins are top predators in the ocean and are hard to catch as their bodies have a torpedo shape which enables them to swim fast.
Atlantic bluefin tuna is endangered with numbers decreasing worldwide. But they are valued highly as a delicacy and the fish can fetch incredibly high prices when sold. Its meat is valued highly due to the fact that it is low in fat and high in essential omega-3 fatty acids.
In the Gulf of Mexico, where the prized fish was caught, it is illegal to target bluefin tuna but there is a quota for incidental catches like this one.
Tuna, including other species, accounts for a third of the whole seafood segment in the United States. Around 1 billion pounds of tuna are eaten every year, the National Fisheries Institute reports.
Social media users commented on the fishing charter's Facebook post.
"DUDE!!!! That is BADASS!!! How long did it take y'all to get that beast in? Was it worse than fighting a shark?" one person said.
"Yay Tim! You are the fish slayer!" another Facebook user said.
"Nice catch guys!!" a commenter wrote.
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About the writer
Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more