New Hampshire Fisherman Catches Record-Breaking 1,116-Pound Bluefin Tuna
The massive catch surpasses the previous state record by more than 150 pounds and narrowly misses the national record.
A New Hampshire fisherman has reeled in a bluefin tuna weighing 1,116 pounds, setting a new state record. The catch, made by Brandon McGirl aboard the charter boat Out of Line captained by Jamie Savage, surpassed the previous New Hampshire record set in 2013 by over 150 pounds.
McGirl was on an overnight fishing trip out of Rye Harbor on Saturday when his reel began to pull. The crew pursued the fish for approximately one mile before managing to bring it alongside the boat. Due to its immense size, the tuna could not be lifted onto the deck, so the crew towed it back to the harbor, where it was eventually weighed.
"We lifted it out of the water and immediately knew it was way bigger than what we thought and bigger than anything either of us had seen before," Savage told WMUR.
The 1,116-pound bluefin tuna is also a significant catch in the broader context of Atlantic bluefin records. The largest bluefin tuna ever caught in U.S. waters weighed 1,142 pounds, 12 ounces, and was caught off Block Island, Rhode Island, in September 1981. McGirl's catch is approximately 27 pounds shy of that national record.
"If you tuna fish for long time, to catch a 1,000-pound fish, is, I mean, it’s something that you dream of," McGirl said.
The record-breaking tuna will be sold, with its meat potentially shipped to Japan, but its tail will be kept at the harbor as a memento of the achievement. Governor Kelly Ayotte acknowledged the feat on social media.
This record catch follows recent notable bluefin tuna catches, including a nearly 500-pound bluefin tuna caught off the coast of San Diego last month, which was described as the largest ever caught on rod and reel in that area.