Fishermen reel in a 220-pound bluefin tuna
Carlos Morales (left) and Arthur Melgoza (right) on their fishing boat in Monterey
By Ariana Jaso
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MONTEREY, California (KSBW) — A catch of a lifetime” — that’s how Arthur Melgoza and Carlos Morales, who have been fishing for about 15 years describe reeling in a 220-pound, 83-inch long bluefin tuna.
“I mean I knew it was a big fish when it hit the fishing pole,” said Melgoza, captain of Reel Nasty Sportfishing.
Bluefin tuna can swim faster than orca whales and great white sharks. Experts say they’re definitely not an easy one to catch. Especially at this size in Monterey.
“It takes some skill to find the fish, and then they don’t always just eat any bait that you throw at them. So these anglers that are going out are really testing their own skills in order to catch a fish that big,” said Environmental Fish and Wildlife Marine program manager, John Ugoretz. He adds that bluefin tuna are found in oceans all over the world. “It’s amazing that bluefin go all the way from Japan to California, that they’re being fished on both sides of the ocean.”
The fishermen said it’s a catch they’ll never forget.
“It was crazy! We were hugging each other, hugging the fish I mean it was all sorts of excitement,” Melgoza said.
Ugoretz said California’s recording-breaking catch for the bluefin tuna is at 395 pounds and the reason it’s in the Monterey area is that the ocean usually warms up during this time of year.
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