Pacific Bluefin
A spotter plane has located schools of what look to be 30- to 50-pound Pacific bluefin tuna about 150 miles south of Point Loma, California, according to a report from the San Diego Union-Tribune website. That’s within striking range of two-day passenger sportfishing boats out of San Diego Bay, and some boats are now working these Mexican waters in hopes of finding the tuna.
In addition, two long-range boats, the_ Royal Star_ and American Angler, had scores on bluefin tuna, with the fish ranging from 60 to 106 pounds, the Union-Tribune reported. These tuna were much farther south — 400 miles down — but it still has ocean anglers excited and hopeful that the bluefin will make their way up the coast.
“The sign of this fish is right where we want it to be this time of year,” the Union-Tribune quotes captain Mike Keating on the Spirit of Adventure at H&M Landing. However, Keating and others are hoping that albacore also join the northward migration, as this species is the real bread and butter of the San Diego passenger sportfishing fleet. The 2011 offshore season was disappointing for the struggling fleet, and so anglers, captains, crew members and boat owners are hoping this is the sign of turnaround.
“Fish trumps economy here,” Keating was quote as saying in the Union-Tribune report. “People will find money to go fishing.”
