Posted: Wednesday, October 06, 2010
PEI tuna season closed after two days; plentiful bluefin chasing mackerel and herring in Gulf
SEAFOOD.COM NEWS BY Jack MacAndrew - Charlottetown PEI - Oct 6, 2010 - You'd have a tough time convincing a Prince Edward Island tuna fisherman that the giant bluefin tuna is in any danger of extinction on this coast. After less than two days of fishing off PEI in a Gulf of St. Lawremce seemingly filled with mackerel and herring, and with predator bluefin in hot pusuit, the approximately 275 fishermen licenced to fish the prized species had landed 325 of a 400 fish allocation by one o'clock in the afternoon of the second day of the season.
That brought about a complete closure of the fishery by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, while the federal government agency counts up more precise totals to determine whether the fishery should remain closed for this season.
It's possible the boats could go out again in a few days; or that any remaining quota could be transferred to next year's allocation.
Now there is concern by some that the sudden influx of fish into the marketplace could lower prices. ' We're not just sure what the effect might be, ' said Doug Fraser this morning.
Mr Fraser is a member of the tuna advisory council of the Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association. He had been up all night at Alberton Fisheries preparing tuna for shipment to Gloucester and Japan. ' The fish are in good shape, ' he says, ' with a good layer of fat, which is what the buyers want. Nobody's talking much about price just yet, and a lot of the fish are shipping out on consignment. We'll have to wait for some of the auctions to tell us something about price.'
Mr. Fraser says most of the catch is dressing out between 500 and 700 pounds, with several fish topping the 1000 pound mark.
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Originally Posted by sears720
Now that this thread is officially hijacked..just wanted to say the fish ended up weighing 912lbs. More to come....
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