catch
Is your fishing gear up to the job? Are you using gear that will the minimise impact on the fish? Are there things you can do to avoid degrading the quality of the flesh if you’re keeping it for eating – or to improve its chance of survival if you release it? Here are some good practices to follow.
- How to replace treble hooks with single hooks on hard body lures Watch video
- How much does your bluefin weigh? Get our length:weight chart and learn how to correctly measure your fish in our handy Tuna Champion Info Card
handle
Poor handling techniques can affect the welfare of the animal, reduce its chance of survival if released, and affect flesh quality if you plan to keep it to eat.
- Find out how to handle bluefin – from reducing fight times to releasing it, and even for that photo opportunity: SBT Code of Practice
- Get our 7 top tips for snapping your catch. Read more
keep
Find out why and how to dispatch, bleed, gut and cool bluefin for the ultimate bluefin taste – and so no fish is wasted…
- Catching a tuna to eat for the recreational fisher Watch video
- Why the right time to take ice on your boat is… every time. Read more
release
Releasing fish reduces the impact of fishing on populations – and that means better fishing for everyone. Reducing stress and damage to the your SBT means they’ll have the best chance of surviving.
- For big fish boatside, keep the boat moving forward slowly so water flows through the gills, until your fish is ready to swim away
- For smaller SBT, release gently with a little push forward so water flows through the gills.
- Read more in the SBT Code of Practice
prepare
Do you know how to prepare a bluefin to get the most out of each fish? See how the masters do it!
- How to butcher a whole tuna: every cut of fish explained Watch video
- Our Tuna Champ videos are coming soon – you’ll find out how much meat you can get from one SBT, how the commercial fishers grade the meat, and more. Stay tuned!
tag
A tagged and recaptured SBT tells a story about movement, growth, and sometimes natural mortality rates across the population.
You can help researchers gather useful data about SBT, by tagging and recording information correctly and handling and releasing the fish with care. Reporting on any recaptures of tagged bluefin also helps us learn more about these iconic fish.
- Find out how to tag correctly and what to do if your fish is already tagged, in our handy Tuna Champion Info Card
- Follow Tuna Champions on Facebook or Instagram for our regular Tuna Travel Tales
- Discover more about these highly tuned swimming machines, their ocean-scale migrations, and why tagging helps researchers get the data they need to understand more about SBT: Playing tag with tuna in the Bight (Ecos)