SANALRENK/Whitepointer/serikbaib
harpoon fishing for Bluefin tuna in New England
There is no shortage of fishing methods on planet earth. From traditional rod and reel to fly fishing, spearfishing to hand lining, electro-shock fishing to trawling and netting, using traps, and on and on and on. One type of fishing that seems to have been mostly lost to time despite being a popular method in centuries past is the use of a harpoon.
This gentleman below, Charlie Nutting, showcases the lost art of harpoon fishing by capturing a 675-pound bluefin tuna off the New England coast.
Catching A 675-Pound Bluefin Tuna With A Harpoon
The methods of harpoon fishing are remarkably simple. A high perch is needed for the person launching the harpoon so they are able to spot fish from a crow’s nest of sorts. A long and sharp harpoon is required so it doesn’t hit the water and glance right off the broad side of a fish. And there must be a strong line attached to the harpoon so the fish doesn’t just disappear into the abyss.
With all of his boxes checked, Charlie Nutting harpooned this 675-pound bluefin tuna off New England which he describes as the ideal fishing location for “zero bycatch, zero habitat disturbance, fast as lightning (literally) and one single fish at a time.” In the first clip, he gets the harpoon into the massive fish and locks in for the battle. Then in the second clip he actually gets the massive 675-pound Bluefin tuna into the boat. Check it out:
The fish is subdued pretty quickly once the harpoon does its job. But there is still a 675-pound tuna on the other end of the line/rope. Getting a fish that heavy into the boat requires an sturdy pulley system and some work on the boat’s throttle to ensure the line doesn’t get spliced in half and the fish is able to be brought on board the vessel before a shark catches wind of what’s happening.
Here is part two where the fruits of their labor pay off:
For what it is worth, harpoon fishing for swordfish remains a common practice in various parts of the Mediterranean Sea over in Europe. But that traditional method of fishing there is becoming less and less popular each year with rising sea surface temperatures yielding fewer swordfish in the region.
Got a friend who has recently gotten deeply into spear fishing? Send this to them. Tell them that unless they ascend to the level of capturing a 600+ pound Bluefin Tuna with a harpoon they simply aren’t measuring up to the fishing standard of our ancestors. Sure, shooting a 10lb snapper with a speargun is fun and it can get dicey/tricky with sharks trying to steal the catch but that’s got nothing on harpoon fishing for tuna.