As I said from the beginning, That would make one heck of a fish sandwich. I’m getting so hungry thinking about it That I think I’ll go scratch through the freezer and see if we have any fish left. If you have any of that blue fin left and don’t know what to do with it, give me a holler and I’ll bring my taste buds and be right over. That was a catch of a life time and you have the pictures to prove it. Good Fishing!

DEW26M , just curious… did you see discarded fish after a tournament in this area (Mobile or Baldwin Counties)?  If it was in our area, I would love to know which tournament. I know there are people who are not, but all of the anglers I have come into contact with are good stewards of our fishing resources. 

BTW, I wasn’t involved in the catch, but I was just fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time and got a little sample. Funny, it didn’t taste anything like chicken and it was much better than that tuna/dolphin mix you buy in grocery stores.

First and foremost, not an ounce of the edible portion of the fish was wasted.

Secondly, for those who obviously don’t know what they are talking about, for pelagic species the term “bigger is better” certainly applies. As the fish gets bigger the meat becomes more “fatty” and is better to eat. Reef fish do get tough when they get big, but for tuna the opposite is true.

The fish WAS dead when it reached the boat. The problem was it died about 2,000 feet down! It actually died or at least was incompassitated after about an hour. The next six hours was spent bringing it up. We did this by easing the boat forward and then backing down quickly to gain a little bit of line. The fish dying so deep was actually a blessing in disguise as the cold water at those depths chilled the fish very well. A fish this thick is quite hard to get all the meat cold before it spoils without trunking out the fish. (which would have DQ’ed us from the tournament)

I will give more details if requested.

Obeacher , if you say you guys ate em up, then hey, I’m all for it. I have to agree it’s a great catch, but I can also see others point of view. Way too many times after these fishing tournaments I’ve seen hundreds upon hundreds, of fish tossed in dumpsters and even on the side of the road. Never made sense to me either, beings how they provide disposal places for the wasted meat.

That was a great catch!  Recreational anglers are catching a lot more large tuna, marlin, swordfish and shark in the northern gulf because of the tighter restrictions on long-liners. 

This particular tuna was delicious!!!  I know this because I was one of many who the fish was shared with.  Believe me, this fish was not wasted as cat food, or put into cans on grocery store shelves.

LongHardLefty you are correct, he died during the fight in deep water.

I have to wonder what some people eat… Okra has feelings too!

That was indeed a great catch.  It should be noted, though, there was another bluefin tuna that was caught in close proximity to the winner that weighed in at 578 lb. and 106 inches.  It was 13.5 hour, 20 mile fight caught on 80 wide tiagra.  However, no one could stop the mako from hitting this monster at the door.  A marine biologist at the weigh dock at the Orange Beach Marina apparently said it lost approx. 28% of its mass (blood, flesh & bone) during attack and estimated it at 740 - 750 lbs.  This was the first disqualified fish invited to the weigh in at the MBGFC. 

Regarding the winning bluefin catch, reportedly, it died while on line.

I have to agree totally with you, Shana. It is an absolute travesty that this magnificent animal was needlessly killed. A fish that size would not be very good to eat anyway...not that they even had any intention of utilizing it for that. I am sure it was simply wasted. The irony of it is, someday, there will no longer BE fishing tournaments because of a depleted supply of marine life....due to overfishing and unchecked harvesting.

If Mr. Jackson and his crew were truly dedicated, they would have released the fish - a mature western Atlantic bluefin tuna on its Gulf of Mexico spawning grounds for the spring spawning season.  The western Atlantic population is severely depleted, and fish in the Gulf of Mexico are so important to the population’s future, directed fishing - both commercial and recreational - has been prohibited in the Gulf since the early 1980s.  Given the situation, bluefin tuna should not even be eligible for landing in Gulf tournaments.  Hopefully this 700 pounder was at least caught on its migration out of the Gulf so it could add 2008 as its last successful reproductive season instead of being caught pre-spawn.

7 HOURS! I couldn’t eat ICE CREAM for that long! And I’m dedicated when it comes to that.

WOW, 7 hours, now thats what i call dedication. I would have given up after about 10 mins or so.