Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Sleeping with the fishes? Fred Wilson and his
tuna caught off Half Moon Bay (Chron photo)

Giant bluefin tuna prefer warmer waters, but they have arrived in force this week, with local fisherman landing 30 to 35:

In the past 50 years, anglers have caught Pacific bluefin tuna in a handful of encounters out of Bay Area harbors. These were often aberrations where the tuna were mixed in with schools of albacore in the fall, often at distances 30 to 100 miles offshore.

The bluefin tuna arrived late last week near the Deep Reef, 10 miles out in Half Moon Bay, where anglers told stories of enormous fish, long fights and even losing 600 yards of line...

Pacific bluefin are not endangered, but NOAA recognizes them as a species that has been overfished by commercial interests, and their stock assessment shows a slight improvement in recent years.

Most believe the tuna have been drawn in by vast schools of juvenile anchovies that have also attracted large numbers of humpback whales and shorebirds to the area, said Tom Mattusch, captain of the Huli Cat, a sport fishing charter boat operating out of Pillar Point Harbor.

Global warming may pose an existential threat, but if we're going to die we may as well enjoy some of its benefits. I hope some of the tuna finds its way to local markets.