RYE, N.H. (WMUR) — A charter fishing trip produced a new state record for the largest bluefin tuna caught in New Hampshire waters.
Captain Jamie Savage and his charter guest, Brandon McGirl, caught a bluefin tuna weighing 1,116 pounds. The previous record, set in 2013, was 962 pounds. The new catch is 154 pounds larger.
Savage and McGirl left for an overnight charter Saturday at 6 a.m. After hours of waiting, they got a bite. Crew members on board worked to get the fish onto the boat, then towed it at a slow pace back to the harbor.
The men said they knew they had a big catch but did not realize how large the fish was until they hoisted it up and saw it in daylight.
“So we lifted it out of the water and immediately knew it was way bigger than what we thought and bigger than anything either of us had seen before,” Savage said.
McGirl said catching a 1,000-pound fish was something he had dreamed of.
“For a long time, catching a 1,000-pound fish, it’s something that I dream of,” McGirl said. “So, I think more than anything, that has always been a goal of mine. Never thought it would actually happen, but to do that and potentially get the record as well is pretty special.”
Tail cut shows meat quality
A cut made to the tuna’s tail showed the quality of its meat.
The tuna is headed to market, where it could be sold as far away as Japan.
The tuna’s tail will remain at the harbor as a trophy to commemorate the record-breaking catch.
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