Giant tuna may be worth fortune in Japan

30th March 2005

Peter Gaston

Napier fisherman Jason Lee may have had the biggest pay day of his 20-year career after landing a 273.6kg northern blue fin tuna about 160km off Cape Kidnappers on Monday.

While Mr Lee, who jointly owns the long-liner Danielle with wife Donna and Nino and Joe D'Esposito, did not want to talk about the value of his catch yesterday, a slightly larger fish last year was auctioned for $80,000 on the Japanese market.

"We don't want to build up our hopes. What we get will depend on the market on the day," he said.

Mr D'Esposito said the fish could sell for "$1000 or $50,000 - we don't know."

But the tuna, caught on a long line, was more than 2.1m long without its tail, almost double the size of the average northern blue landed, was in good condition, had plenty of fat and the Japanese market was strong, he said.

After having its gills and stomach packed with ice to keep it fresh at Hawke's Bay Seafoods, the tuna was being flown to Japan today and was destined to become sushi. Because of its potential value it was wrapped in a muslin- like cloth to protect its skin from damage.

Mr Lee, who began a career in the industry as a 15-year-old and has jointly owned the Danielle for a year, has never caught a tuna of this size before.