Has anybody done tuna fishing in the Gulf?

I have fished with friends going out forty miles, but I have never heard of someone going for Tuna.....at least not among the friends who have invited me......but I know the gulf has Tuna......when is the season, and where do you go? Where would you sell a 200 lb tuna in Pensacola?

I bring this up after watching some episodes of "Wicked Tuna" on National Geographic channel. I was amazed to see folks bringing in one fish and getting paid 5k based on the fat content. They cut the tail, and look at the meat, and then take a long tube and look at the consistency of the meat and fat content.....then offer $14 to 24 a lb for the tuna.....it looked like a great deal of fun, but I have never fished for big game fish, or Tuna and found the show to be fascinating.

I know somebody has to get local fresh tuna because twenty years ago at Barricudas on Navarre Beach, I would always walk over to get a seared tuna salad which was simply great. They had this great home salad dressing and the tuna was simply perfect. After Ivan they closed it, and I have not found another seared tuna salad which was that good.

Mr. Oats, yes tuna are quite abundant in the Gulf, although they are primarily yellow fin and black fin. The Blue Fin, the quarry of Wicked Tuna, is caught in the Gulf although not in the numbers found off the NE coast. A few years ago a monster Blue was caught just south of Biloxi in the 1100 lb range, a whopper for sure. The tuna bite is normally hottest beginning at first light and is preceded with chumming the area just prior to first light. Those fortunate enough to find tuna in numbers are in for an exhausting but thrilling experience.

My best fishing experience on the Gulf was getting into a school of Amberjack.....what a blast......we were catching and releasing, but Amberjack is my favorite......and my friend who was captain, was misidentifying the fish, and did not want to keep what we were catching......on that trip we a mac being hauled to the boat when a shark struck and bam.......we had half of a mac.

AJ's are fun for sure, exhausting but fun. Tuna is our favorite table fish grilled on the rare side but it is scrumptious!

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service is holding a public meeting today in Belle Chasse to discuss the future management of Atlantic bluefin tuna. It’s illegal to fish bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico, the only known spawning area for western Atlantic bluefin, but part of an internationally set U.S. quota is used to cover bluefin caught accidentally by commercial boats trying to catch other fish...........................................................................................................................While NOAA does not list bluefin tuna as warranting protection under the Endangered Species Act, NOAA officials have expressed concerns about the status of bluefin tuna and has listed it as a “species of concern.”
A sushi delicacy, the species often fetches astronomical prices in Japan. Earlier this year, a 593-pound bluefin tuna caught off northeastern Japan fetched about $736,000 at Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market. That’s $1,238 per pound.
The gathering at the Belle Chasse Auditorium from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. is the only meeting on the possible Gulf-related amendments to the management plan, officially called the “Consolidated Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan.” Meetings already have been held earlier this month in New Jersey and Massachusetts, and additional meetings will be held in North Carolina, New York, Orlando and Portland.
NOAA is exploring several potential management measures, ranging from tighter quotas to modified seasons and area closures.
Environmental groups at the meeting, including the Gulf Restoration Network, are expected to discuss better ways to protect the species’ Gulf spawning grounds, in particular focusing on ways to reduce bluefin bycatch on the longline fishing equipment that some fishers use to catch swordfish and yellowfin tuna.
The longlines can stretch 30 miles and include 750 hooks.
Led by the Pew Environment Group, some environmental groups have pushed for changes that would reduce the length and number of hooks on fishing lines used for yellowfin and swordfish.
Yellowfin tuna caught in the Gulf average 86 pounds, while the bluefin average 485.
Pew says that oil spill restoration funds from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon spill could help pay for a gear transition program that could phase out surface longlines, while keeping swordfish and yellowfin fishers in business.
Last year, NOAA did start requiring commercial fishers using longlines in the Gulf of Mexico to use hooks designed to straighten when grabbed by bluefin tuna, releasing the fish. Testing showed that the “weak hooks” would hold most yellowfin tuna, swordfish and other commercial species while cutting accidental bluefin catch by 56 percent, according to NOAA statistics. Before that introduction, about 285 bluefin were caught in the Gulf each year but bycatch numbers for bluefin tuna since 2010 were not immediately available.
Although bluefin tuna still alive when they reach the deck are released, many die from the stress of being caught and hauled to the boat, according to NOAA.
In 2010, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas voted to cut the bluefin fishing quota in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean by about 4 percent, from 13,500 to 12,900 metric tons annually. It also agreed on measures to try to improve enforcement of bluefin quotas.
The decision was strongly criticized by environmental groups, which hoped to see bluefin fishing slashed or suspended.
The Belle Chasse Auditorium is at 8398 Louisiana 23.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Benjamin Alexander-Bloch can be reached at bbloch@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3321.

hallmarkgrad wrote:The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service is holding a public meeting today in Belle Chasse to discuss the future management of Atlantic bluefin tuna. It’s illegal to fish bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico, the only known spawning area for western Atlantic bluefin, but part of an internationally set U.S. quota is used to cover bluefin caught accidentally by commercial boats trying to catch other fish

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Interesting, I did not know that . . . . .

I have caught a lot of different fish in the gulf...and I still like fishing the pass for redfish the best...them big redfish can really give you a great fight. Kings are fun and tasty but my fish of choice is redfish...of course a big shark can leave you exhausted also. Bonita are fun but for some reason they die the minute they hit the deck so I don't like catching them unless I need shark bait...

TEOTWAWKI wrote:I have caught a lot of different fish in the gulf...and I still like fishing the pass for redfish the best...them big redfish can really give you a great fight. Kings are fun and tasty but my fish of choice is redfish...of course a big shark can leave you exhausted also. Bonita are fun but for some reason they die the minute they hit the deck so I don't like catching them unless I need shark bait...

Skipjacks(lady fish) have to rate as one the best fun fish to catch. Cant eat them but I love to pull them out of the water on light tackle, poor mans baby Tarpon LOL. Small silver spoon is a killer for them

I was diving and a school of Jacks came through...All I had was a pole spear ... I pulled my spear back to the tip with a fresh rubber and let it fly.... it bounced off a big jack like he was armor plated...LOL.

I hate to say it but I helped build a long line fishing boat. The automatic bait system is amazing. Short clip It is a complex system that really has to be fine tuned.

Sorry about Ki Jacking the tuna thread but it is somewhat on topic
This is very close to the system we installed and set up.

Don't be to apologetic Hallmark..longlining is legal and people sure like seafood....

2seaoat wrote:I have fished with friends going out forty miles, but I have never heard of someone going for Tuna.....at least not among the friends who have invited me......but I know the gulf has Tuna......when is the season, and where do you go? Where would you sell a 200 lb tuna in Pensacola?

Joe Patti's

Found it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

What are the requirements to sell my catch?
To sell your catch in Florida, you must have a valid Saltwater Products License (SPL). You may also need endorsements to the SPL for certain species and use of certain gear types. Federal commercial fishing permits may be necessary as well. Additional state and federal requirements must be met if you harvest certain species.
Information about federal permits can be found at the National Marine Fisheries Service Web site: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.
Visit Licenses & Permits to download appropriate state forms or fill out an online submission form for a Saltwater Products License.
Where can I sell my catch?
In Florida, you can sell your catch to wholesale dealers licensed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Wholesale dealers may need corresponding federal dealer permits to purchase certain species in certain areas. Only sales to wholesale dealers count toward the Restricted Species Endorsement. All transactions must be reported to the FWC on marine fisheries trip tickets. For more information on licensing, please visit the FWC's Licenses and Permits section.

You don't like Triggerfish, Z?

You don't like Triggerfish, Z?


I was thinking the same thing....those teeth though.....also I am a real fan of Amberjack......it is usually top on my list. There used to be a restaurant in Fort Walton 25 years ago.....you would cross the bridge on 98 and it was right under the east end of the bridge.....cannot think of the name.....but they would bring the hottest plate with your Amberjack.....I think it was called the seagull....or something similar.

No list of best tasting fish worth it's salt leaves pompano off.