The record largest bluefin tuna ever shot has, pending confirmation, recently been harvested off the Dana Point coast by Aaron Shook.
On June 3, Shook and a couple of friends were hunting about eight miles off of Dana Point after hearing that large schools of bluefin had recently been spotted there. The trio was rewarded with a 173.3lb bluefin, which topped the previous record bluefin tuna caught in 1982 by 75 pounds.
What makes this event even more noteworthy is that Bluefin are pelagic fish and are seldom spotted much less linger off the California coast long enough for freedivers to target them. However bluefin have been taken off Dana Point and the recent surge in sightings spurred the trio on to try their luck.
Dana Point is already a favorite spot for whale watching excursions and the news of this big fish which did not get away will likely be used by the coastal city in the latest promotional material it sends to the brochure printers.
With so much fresh tuna at his disposal Shook will be kept busy slicing tuna fillets to vacuum seal. Not so busy, however, that he will not make time to complete and file the necessary paperwork with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in the near future to make his record breaker official.
