Where have all the Tuna gone

Hi Roger

Today 25 July I watched a longliner offload tuna caught off the EC coast over the last few weeks. The fish (mainly yellowfin and bigeye) were longlined legally under licence and were being transferred by crane frozen to a larger vessel in the PE harbour. Screens were erected preventing Joe public seeing or estimating total volume. The bycatch included broadbill although I did not see any myself. The yellowfin avg weight was around 30 kg and the bigeye round 50 kg. The quantities were clearly vast. The SA observer had spent just over a month on the vessel. I have little doubt this 1 trip caught more tuna than the EC recreational anglers do annually. If it continues the reduced quantity of yellowfin caught this year will no doubt be considered plentiful in years to come.

regards
Colin de Villiers

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