NEWBURYPORT — The waterfront fish pier was buzzing with excitement Wednesday before dusk, as dozens clamored to catch a glimpse of a 500-pound tuna fish that had been brought in by a Georgetown man a little earlier.
Roger LaPointe said it took him, his son Steven, and family friends Ron Koveleski and Boxford Selectman Peter Perkins about 90 minutes to reel the 981/2-inch bluefin into his 25-foot Parker motorboat.
Asked if his arms were tired after his battle with the fish, LaPointe said, "I drive (the boat), so I feel good."
LaPointe's fish was placed in the back of a large, red truck and driven to the Yankee Fisherman's Cooperative in Seabrook, where it was weighed and is expected to be auctioned off today. LaPointe estimated he could get anywhere between $3,000 and $5,000 for the fish. Prospective buyers could include Japanese restaurant owners who prize tuna for sushi, he added.
To prepare LaPointe's fish for auction, its head, tail and internal organs were removed. Once that was completed, the fish weighed 398 pounds, according to a Yankee Fisherman's Co-op representative.
LaPointe seemed unaffected by the hubbub around him. Perhaps it was because LaPointe said he has caught even larger bluefin tuna in the past including his largest, an 845-pounder.
LaPointe wasn't the only one bringing in a fish that evening. Minutes earlier, another boat had just lifted a roughly 300-pound tuna onto the same pier into another large truck. And by the time LaPointe gently guided his vessel Currency against the dock, two other boats had lined up behind him, awaiting their turn to unload their catch.
Catching a tuna as large as LaPointe's is rare around these parts, said Newburyport Harbormaster Paul Hogg, but it hasn't always been so. Hogg said that in years past, there were many tuna caught that measured at least 100 inches and weighed as much as 900 pounds. But over the last seven or eight years, the number of tuna that size has diminished.
But Hogg said he's noticed a large uptick this summer in commercial keeper tuna fish being caught. He described keeper fish as ones that are 73 inches or longer.
Hogg said the hot summer conditions have raised the coastal water temperature to a toasty 65 degrees Fahrenheit, which has attracted bait fish closer to shore, and species like tuna and shark are following.SClB"When you have the right water temp and you have food for them, they're going to stay in the area," Hogg said.
Another factor is fewer dogfish that close to shore. Dogfish typically eat the tuna bait moments after it's thrown over the side, long before a tuna has a chance to find it, Hogg said.
"You can actually fish for them without dogfish interrupting them," Hogg said.
He said most commercial tuna fishermen have been sailing 30 miles away from shore to Jeffrey's Ledge. But with this year's conditions, tuna are coming much closer, to around 6 miles out from shore.
Popular bait for tuna fishing includes herring, mackerel and whiting fish.
Bridge Road Bait and Tackle owner Rene Vigneault said his Salisbury business has been booming this summer, thanks to the increase of tuna. SClB"Yeah, it definitely has," Vigneault said. "The chase is on."
That's great news not only for Vigneault but also for Hogg, who said he was glad to see an influx of tunas being caught.
"It's awesome," Hogg said. "It's good to see people boating and fishing, because it's been awful the last couple of years — people weren't fishing."
Hogg said not only are there more commercial and recreational boats fishing for bigger game, but there's also been an uptick of recreational fishermen catching noncommercial tunas called "football tuna."
"It's good to see the activity, and it's good for the tourists," Hogg said. "Who doesn't like the activity?"
It's not only tuna that's being caught in greater abundance, but sharks as well. Hogg said there has been an increase in fishermen coming back to shore with makos and blue sharks. Asked if the recent sightings of great white sharks around Newburyport and the Massachusetts coastline this summer could be related to warmer weather and more food in the water, Hogg said those definitely were factors.
Hogg said the good tuna times likely will continue to roll for the next few months, as August through September are the prime fishing months of the year.SClB"It's good to see things picking up," Hogg said.
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