MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (AP) -- After catching a 600-pound whopper of a giant bluefin tuna that would be worth about $40,000 in a Japanese fish market, Ron Purser of Newport knew just what to do with it. He turned it over to researchers, who weighed it, tagged it and set it free.
"When you see something that pretty living in the water, you've got to let it go," Purser said..."You just don't want to kill anything that beautiful."
Talk about a fish story.
Purser, who landed his prize tuna on New Year's Eve, is one of dozens of N.C. fishermen participating in research designed to reveal more about the huge fish which are among the most highly prized in the ocean. Called "Tag a Giant," the program enlists recreational and commercial fishermen to hook the fish for scientists who attach data-recording devices.
Fish are tagged from the Carolinas to New England, but North Carolina has become a prime location since the fish began showing up in large numbers in the past four years. Scientists with the Tuna Research and Conservation Center in Monterrey, Calif., said the 200 fish tagged and released off Hatteras in 1997 set a record and will help them achieve a goal of tagging 1,000 fish by the year 2,000.
About two dozen giant bluefin tuna were released during a two-week effort in the Morehead City area that ends today. The tagging effort will shift to Hatteras from Jan. 15 to Feb. 15.
A combination of fishing skill and sophisticated equipment is needed to track giant bluefins, which are fast and powerful swimmers, said Dr. Barbara Block, director of the tagging program.
"It's like trying to track a submarine," she said.
Preliminary studies indicate that fish released off the N.C. coast move to the north and mid-Atlantic, with some traveling as far as 1,650 miles in 90 days. Eight tags that were implanted in bluefins off Hatteras in 1997 were recaptured by commercial fishermen in Canada, Japan, Italy and the United States.
Some devices attached to the fish have wires that corrode after several days so the recording devices pop to the surface, where they are retrieved and studied. Some are tracked by satellites, and some, called archival tags, are implanted inside the fish to record information on temperature and swimming habits.
During the "Tag a Giant" program, fishermen who sponsor tags for $1,500 each, head offshore and fish for the giants with heavy fishing tackle designed to minimize injury to the fish. When the fish is hooked, the charter boat radios for researchers on another boat to pull up nearby and take the fishing line.
The fish is then pulled aboard the boat with the team of researchers, who place it on a mat, pump water over the gills and cover its eyes. A team member makes a small incision in the fish, inserts a 2-inch-long data recording device and stitches the wound shut. Usually the fish is back in the water within three minutes.
Block said 95 percent of the tags sent out movement and temperature data that indicated the fish survived the operation.
Fishermen have a chance to win prizes when the tags are returned. More importantly, they can help provide data that can be used to manage the fish populations, said Bill Hitchcock, president of the Cape Lookout Sportsfishing Association. The organization of charter-fishing and fishing-related businesses helped sponsor the "Tag a Giant" program in Morehead City.
Catches of giant bluefin tuna are strictly regulated by international agencies and federal fishermen management agencies. Some commercial fishing is allowed, and recreational fishermen who have a federal permit can keep fish in some case if they do not sell them.
But many people in the sport fishing industry encourage fishermen to catch and release the giants. Pete Manuel, captain of the Delta Dawn charter boat in Morehead City, said the thrill of fighting the big fish attracts anglers, especially during the winter months when offshore fishing has traditionally been slow.
He said a giant bluefin can spin 250-300 yards of fishing line in minutes. "They rip off more line than a blue marlin," he said.
Purser, the Newport fisherman, said he had no qualms about releasing the fish. On his outing with Manuel on New Year's Eve, he caught and released two other giants, one weighing in at 495 pounds and one at 273.
"It's a thrill," he said. "It's like your first kiss when you're a kid."
By JERRY ALLEGOOD - Copyright ©1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or distributed.
Submitted by Tom Fote, the Legislative Chairman, of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association
22 Cruiser Court Toms River, NJ 08753
Phone: 908-270-9102
Fax: 908-506-6409
Email: tfote@JCAA.org
