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?
- Watch our Snap-fact – making the change to single hooks here: Watch this!
- Find out what’s changing on the tournament circuit and why it’s a win for southern bluefin tuna and for anglers: Tournaments ride tides of change – BlueWater Issue 141
- Learn how to quickly replace treble hooks with singles on hard body lures: watch the video
- Get our length-weight chart and learn how to correctly measure your fish in this handy Tuna Champ Info Card
Find out how your boat driver can help reduce fight time
with a big bluefin: Reduce Fight Time – BlueWater Issue 138
HANDLE
Poor handling techniques can affect the welfare of the fish, reducing its chance of survival if released. It will also affect the quality of the meat if you plan to keep the fish to eat.
- For all those handling skills like using knotless nets, making sure everything the fish touches onboard is wet with sea water (including your hands), taking photos of the big ones boat-side and more, check out the SBT Code of Practice
- The Coast 2 Coast Tuna Tournament in Victor Harbour is a great example of a tournament encouraging anglers to adopt better fish handling techniques. Find out why: Tournament encourages Tuna Champions – Blue Water Issue 137
- Get our 7 top tips for snapping your catch. Read more
RELEASE
Releasing fish reduces the impact of fishing on populations – and that means better fishing for everyone.
Reducing stress and damage to your SBT will give them the best chance of surviving.
- To release big fish boat-side, keep the boat moving forward slowly so water flows through the gills, until your fish is ready to swim away
- Gently release smaller SBT with a little push forward so water flows through the gills
- If you’re tagging the fish before you release it, see our Tag section below
- Read more in the SBT Code of Practice
Download the IkeJime Tool Extreme app here
KEEP
Find out how to dispatch, bleed, gill-gut and cool bluefin for the ultimate bluefin taste – and so no fish is wasted!
Watch this! In our video series, you’ll discover:
- How much ice you really need. We put chilling methods to the test – the results may surprise you.
- How to dispatch, bleed, pith, gill-gut and properly chill your SBT – all in quick grabs!
Pick up more tips here:
- Get the full story: Read our ‘chilling truth’ BlueWater article here.
- Get our quick guide to dispatching & processing your SBT: Tuna Champion Info Card.
- Catching a tuna to eat for the recreational fisher: watch the video
PREPARE
Do you know how to prepare a bluefin to get the most out of every fish?
Watch this! TC Kitchen
In our video series, you’ll discover:
- How to get the most from your tuna with our ULTIMATE FILLETING GUIDE
- How the professional Rod & Reel fishers care for their catch for the best quality flesh with the longest shelf life
- How the experts take SBT from preparation to plate
- Some quick and delicious SBT recipes from our TC Kitchen.
…and here’s how to butcher a whole tuna: every cut of fish explained: watch the video
Love to channel your inner chef? Jump into our TC Kitchen,
and follow us on Facebook & Instagram
Get your tags from the NSW DPI Game Fish Tagging Program
Follow our regular Tuna Travel Tales on Facebook or Instagram
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 any recaptures of tagged bluefin also helps us learn more about these iconic fish.
- Become an expert with our tuna tagging videos: Watch this!
- What’s the correct way to tag? What if my fish is already tagged? Find out in our handy Tuna Champion Info Card
- Get your SBT tagging technique spot-on with Associate Professor Sean Tracey:
How to tag tuna – from BlueWater issue 136 - 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)