Giants are individual tuna that are over 315 pounds and this species grows to at least 1,500 pounds.

The cold clear green water got my heart started as I turned to face the oncoming fish. I saw the first one rise out of the green abyss, gliding, silent and purposeful, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape, the dorsal fin suddenly raised, pelvics lowered and the gills flared as the fish inhaled a slowing sinking herring. It turned sharply and the afternoon sun caught its bronze flanks and the water around the fish was momentarily lit in a golden glow. The fins and tail cut the surface and the bubble stream followed the fish down into the green depths. Then another one rose up and another and then several came in a rush to suck down the drifting herring…..one came so close I could see the scale detail on its cheek and it popped its gills the size of trash can lid.  Then a blur of bright yellow finlets as the huge fish passed. The average size of these giant bluefin tuna is 800 pounds. Giants… is the correct terminology. These fish are up to 12 feet long with a 7 foot girth and several that swept by me were in the 1,200 pound range. I panned my video camera on them as they swam past me gobbling up the chum that kept them close to the boat.

In the late summer and fall these remnants of a once larger population of bluefin tuna take advantage of large schools of herring spawning in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and around Nova Scotia, Canada. They put on weight prior to undertaking lengthy migrations south to the Gulf of Mexico or swim across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.

 I was on board the “Fin Seeker”, a 50-foot lobster boat from Wedgeport, owned by Erik Jaquard and crewed by sons Joel and Camil who had a permit to take 5,000 pounds of bluefin this season. Erik was very selective about what tunas were taken (only five in six days of fishing) and the rest were all tagged and released for science. Those fish that were harvested were meticulously cleaned and iced down before being shipped by air to waiting markets in Japan.

There are two research efforts currently under way in Nova Scotia, one being conducted by Dr. Barbara Block of the Tuna Research and Conservation Centre, based at the Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station, please visit www.tunaresearch.org. The GHOF gives this research organisation a small grant to assist with this effort, which is based at Port Hood in the northern district of Cape Breton.

 The other research effort is being conducted by Dr. Molly Lutcavage of the Large Pelagics Research Centre based at the Natural Resources Conservation Dept , University of Massachusetts Amherst, please visit www.tunalab.org.  Dr. Lutcavage’s team was based in Wedgeport in the southwest. The plan was to visit both operations and conduct interviews with respective scientists and crew. Both teams have spent the last decade in the field tagging and tracking the migrations of the bluefin tuna along the eastern seaboard of North America and across the Atlantic to Europe.

Their results have indicated main feeding areas, spawning areas, trans-Atlantic migrations and have assisted in the sometimes controversial management of this species by ICCAT, the international organisation that allocates quotas and attempts to regulate commercial fishing for this valuable nomad of the ocean.

This is not my first brush with giants. In January 2003, I did a shoot with Barbara Block off Cape Lookout, North Carolina, while she was tagging medium sized and giant bluefin tuna, for my TV series “Portraits from the Deep”.  Giants are individual tuna that are over 315 pounds and this species grows to at least 1,500 pounds.  The previous year I had visited the tuna traps or “almadraba” in Tarifa and in Barbate on the southern coast of Spain. Here I dived with the captive tunas caught in land based traps and witnessed the harvest of 300 giants in a 2,000-year-old ritual that began with the Phoenecians and then the Romans.

Long before the species became desirable food, the bluefin tuna was fished by recreational anglers out of Wedgeport, Nova Scotia, from 1935 until 1975 in a famous tournament called the Sharp Cup, which attracted international teams from many countries. Of these large, powerful animals Charles F. Holder said, “Weight for weight, they have double the fighting power of a tarpon. They are living meteors that strike like whirlwind and play like a storm”. Some say the recreational fishery, catch and release only, should be revived in Nova Scotia.

 In the early years this species was fished sparingly by harpoon, some were caught on line for canning as they were more of a “nuisance fish” damaging gear set for herring and mackerel. In the mid 1970s demand in Japan for the fresh tuna grew exponentially and so fishing effort for bluefin tuna was greatly increased. Industrial scale long lining and purse seining were added to the traps and harpoon fishery so the populations of bluefin tuna declined to the present  day levels where some authorities consider the species close to commercial extinction. However, the researchers are of the opinion that if the quota system is properly regulated (as it certainly appears to be in Canada) then this fishery has the potential to be sustainable in spite of the huge worldwide demand for bluefin tuna sushi.

Along with my documentary producer and camera man, George Schellenger, I spent three days with the crew of the “Fin Seeker” as willing anglers using ultra heavy tackle caught, tagged and released some two dozen giants. Pop-up archival tags were deployed on many fish following capture. The hook was removed using a de-hooking device and the tunas swam free. The PATs record the migration of the tunas as well as depth and temperature data along their routes. A special physiological adaptation called a counter current heat exchanger allows metabolic heat to be kept in the body and not lost through the gills thus maintaining the body temperature well above ambient temperatures, allowing faster swimming speeds in areas rich in prey species.  Being “warm blooded” these giant tuna, often called “super fish”, can penetrate the cold northern latitudes and dive to great depths in search of fish and squid.

The winter is coming soon and bad weather arrived so I was unable to visit the Tag a Giant research team in Cape Breton. They will be back next year and I will complete the documentary shoot with them at that time. Meanwhile I will be completing the story of the life cycle of the bluefin tuna including interviews with other research efforts to study aspects of the early life history of this long lived super fish.

What a thrill to spend an hour in the water with these magnificent creatures and to capture their brilliant colours and movement for my next work. These are big fish and I will need to prepare a big canvas. The adventure continues….

It is our collective responsibility to conserve the marine environment and maintain the biodiversity of the planet.
Guy Harvey PhD. WH


Guy Harvey
Guy Harvey is a unique blend of artist, scientist, diver, angler and conservationist.

Growing up in Jamaica, Guy’s passion for marine artwork flourished while spending time fishing and diving with his father. He went on to study marine biology, later earning a doctorate in fisheries management.

However, it is Guy’s ability to recreate marine life as an art form that has propelled him into a successful career as a wildlife artist and photographer.

An ardent conservationist, Guy’s tireless efforts are spearheaded by the Guy Harvey Research Institute based in Florida.

 Guy lives in Grand Cayman with his wife Gillian and their two children, Jessica and Alex. When he’s not out deep sea fishing for marlin, he can be found painting at his Art Studio and Gallery on
the waterfront.