Louisiana Woman Hooks Colossal 180lb Tuna: 'Miraculous'

A colossal 180 pound bigeye tuna has been caught off the coast of Venice, Louisiana.

London Rosiere, a deck-hand for Paradise Outfitters, hooked the big-eyed behemoth with her first bait, which was then reeled in by the charter crew's customers.

"I don't know of anyone [else] who has caught a big eye of this size this year," Rosiere told Newsweek. "The boats around us had all been catching smaller yellowfin, like 30 pounders."

Bigeye tuna are known for the quality of their meat and can be found in temperate and tropical waters across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. They can grow up to eight feet long and weigh up to 400 pounds.

In the days before the catch, a cold front had hit the area, so the crew, led by Andrew Bateman, were not expecting much. "The bite hadn't really been too great," Rosiere said. "But we said our morning prayers and went out with a positive attitude, and it was actually the first bait I threw out.

"While the customers are reeling in the fish, you can kind of see the bend in the rod, [which shows] how heavy the fish is, so we knew it was going to be a big fish...[But] you don't really know how big it is until it hits the deck."

The fish was even bigger than the crew had anticipated: "I had to put my leg on the rail and push because I needed more leverage," Rosiere said. "We got him in the boat and we all started cheering. We were hooting and hollering and jumping up and down.

"Its colors are bright and it's shiny, I mean it's so beautiful," she said. "They say it's lit up. It's got the iridescent colors–the gold and silver and blue. It's just such a miraculous looking creature.

"It's amazing eating too, you just get so much meat from it. It's healthy eating and it's sustainable."

Atlantic bigeye tuna is considered a good choice of seafood by the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) because it is sustainable and responsibly harvested.

Populations are fairly stable thanks to conservation measures that limit overfishing of this species.

"Our regulations further ensure that fishing does not harm the population," a spokesperson from the NOAA told Newsweek.

"As long as anglers follow these regulations, they can feel confident that fishing for bigeye is sustainable. Plus, they are great seafood."

For Rosiere, the journey to becoming a deck-hand has not always been, what you might call, plain sailing. "I lost my home in Hurricane Katrina and ended up stranded in New York City at 19," she said.

She began working in the fashion industry but, after losing her mother and brother, was drawn back to Louisiana. She began working as a deck-hand to raise money for a non-profit community project called Camp SoulGrow which she founded after her mother's passing.

"We're a non-profit workshop camp for kids where kids can come and learn [new skills] from people in the community," she said. "It's all to help kids gain self-esteem and try new things without any pressure."

"I came home to bring Camp SoulGrow here and then I found the fishing," she said. "I call myself Cinderella backwards—I used to be in the dresses and now I'm cutting chum."

After a day of fishing, the crew headed back to the marina where they cleaned the fish and bagged it for the customers. Because of its size, this was quite a challenge. "They had to get an extra cooler—so much meat came off it," Rosiere said.

"It's an amazing fish and it's an amazing experience. We got lucky."