Pacific bluefin in the Bay of Islands ‘as good as it gets’
Exciting times, as huge bluefin tuna make an appearance into the Bay of Islands
Several catches of Pacific bluefin tuna in the Bay of Islands are turning heads – and this has the local fishing club getting excited.
Speaking to The Adventurer, Bay of Islands Swordfish Club executive committee member Andrew Johnson says the recent catches of the species are so out of the ordinary, it’s almost unbelievable.
Johnson says there has officially been five weighed in at the club (with a possible sixth being hooked-up the day he spoke to The Adventurer), ranging between 180-245kg. All tuna have been caught live-baiting.
“But there’s still many being caught. There have been twice the number of fish lost as have been hooked.”
Johnson says the club has kept records since around 1912, and it has never recorded a Pacific bluefin tuna being caught in Northland or in the club’s waters.
“We have very good fishermen here in the Bay of Islands. There's been the odd thing where people have gone, ‘Oh, I wonder if back then that such-and-such could have been a fish’. But we would've seen or heard of something before this. We would've noticed these fish over 120 years of fishing in the Bay of Islands,” he says.
If people didn't notice, what has changed?
“Perhaps it was because we were not necessarily trying very hard at this time of year,” Johnson says.
“Perhaps the way the krill turned up in the Bay of Islands and the bait fish that accompanied them changed things a bit. Or perhaps, and probably most likely, there's been a huge reduction in long line pressure from the commercial long line fleet, both in New Zealand, but mainly from overseas, and this population of fish is just bouncing back hard.
“These fish just do what fish do, which is as their population grows, they expand their habitat. What was traditionally bluefin territory off the cold West Coast waters of the South Islands is now turning up to be springtime off the Bay of Islands.
“Are they turning up here because the bait is really excessive, or is it because the Pacific bluefin stock is really good? I’ve certainly heard from commercial fishermen this year that at one point they had to stop fishing for bluefin tuna because they were just getting too many Pacific blue tuna caught, so they couldn't effectively catch the
bluefin tuna.
“Whatever it is, it's just a fantastic thing.”
Johnson says the SBT have predominantly been caught close to land in traditionally kingfish territory, areas where big bait schools congregate in 20-50m of water.
“PBT are a strange species that have only ever been successfully targeted recreationally on the West Coast of the South Island in August and September,” he says.
“They occasionally pop up in other random spots like Three Kings and are caught as bycatch while fishing for marlin, but very little is really known about them.”
Johnson says you need big gear and an experienced crew to target and catch these fish successfully.
“These tuna are incredibly strong fish – they are built to cross oceans. They have the strength and power completely unlike most gamefish in New Zealand,” he says.
“Do not turn up to a gunfight with a knife – 80lb + tackle, suitable weather conditions, fit strong anglers, and an experienced team are an absolute necessity.”
Johnson says for those interested in learning how to catch SBT, it’s best to pop into the club.
“Go into the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club on one of our club nights, Wednesday from 6pm, talk to some of the local guys who have hooked and fought a few and get the latest intel from them directly.”
Johnson wonders if this is the future of what an abundant fishery looks like.
“We’re catching huge bluefin tuna off the Bay of Islands in the middle of winter. What’s next? Do we catch thousand-pound blue marlin regularly in New Zealand now? Is
this a one-off or is next season gonna be even better?
“I don't even know what's next, because this is literally as good as it gets.”
