Learning about Bluefin Tuna from across the sea
In the short video produced by the BBC, you can see we are still learning so much about these fascinating creatures. We at Ortus Charters feel blessed to be able to chase these amazing fish right here in our backyard!
The experts are still trying to learn about their migration patterns, where they spawn, and life expectancy. Tagging bluefins and being able to release them helps to generate that data. We at Ortus participate in a program called, Tag a Tiny. How the program works is that we tag smaller bluefin tuna and record some basic information about the fish. We record it’s size, condition it was in, where we caught it, etc. Then we send that information to the Large Pelagics Research Center who records the data in their database.
As a fisherman, if we catch a fish with a tag, we record the same information as when we caught a tuna. Once that is gathered, we update the Research Center. After we give the tag number to the Research Center, they can tell us when and where that fish was tagged and by whom. All of the data helps them to better understand these magnificent creatures and how they exist in the ocean.
For many years the bluefin tuna were not present off the coast of England, so it is great to see them bounce back in that portion of the world. They have been an extremely rare sight in United Kingdom waters over the last couple of decades. With careful international management and stringent legislation, it appears that stocks have now recovered, and the tuna have been spotted off the United Kingdom coastline – largely around the Cornwall and southern coasts area.
If you would like to see one of these creatures up close for yourself, look at our calendar and book a trip for summer 2024. It will be an experience you will always remember. We can catch these bluefin in 3 main ways. The first is to live line bait with big conventional reels while we drift. The second way is to troll squid bars on the surface and entice the fish to come up to eat the lure. Lastly, we use light tackle to cast or jig for them. This method is a real workout for us the anglers!
