Tuna ... Northern Bluefin?

[omulloway]

Hey Guys,

On a recent trip out of Cairns we caught this tuna (took 2 hours on light gear) on the inshore reefs... just wondering if anyone knows the actual correct name for them? Apparently its a northern bluefin, but they go by a few names?

Was a great fight by the way, these guys must be one of the the toughest fish pound for pound!

Cheers Omulloway

[Pistol_P]

Yeah mate that is correct.....Northern Bluefin or Longtail tuna.....Same thing.
Hard fighting fish.

Pete

[samson]

Mate this is where a lot of people get mixed up and mistaken by the use of common names that fish is in fact a longtail tuna or Thunnus tonggol not a northern blue fin tuna or Thunnus thynus as a lot of people refer to them as, i know this from much research into it as fisheries consider your fish a longtail tuna has no bag limit or size limit but in the commercial sector they have a 10 fish limit as longtail tuna but Northern bluefin tuna have a zero fish limit unless you hold a long line licence and then they are governed by quota, in simplified terms the northern blue fin tuna is the northern hemisphere variety of the southern bluefin tuna like a lot of the ones they get at New Zealand that grow to enormous sizes in excess of 500kg and your fish is the longtail tuna which is small coast line fish that grow to 40kg that migrate along the coast to northern new south wales, a lot of people are unaware of this and continue to call your fish northern blue fin tuna which is incorrect but will continue to be done as it has for years as no one likes to change what they know. So your fish is definatly a longtail tuna (Thunnus tonggol) not a northern blue fin (Thunnus thynus). and for reference the southern bluefin is (Thunnus maccoyi)
Cheers samson

[tunaticer]

Thanks Samson,

For us laymen around here what is the best way to correctly identify between the northern bluefin and the longtail tuna?


Jack.

[Pistol_P]

Well whats the difference between a Longtail tuna and Northern Bluefin...????

They are the same fish.....To my knowledge they used to be called Northern Bluefin but them they changed the name to Longtail tuna.

Pete

[omulloway]

So your fish is definatly a longtail tuna (Thunnus tonggol) not a northern blue fin (Thunnus thynus). and for reference the southern bluefin is (Thunnus maccoyi)
Cheers samson

Thanks samson, I had a look on the net trying to indentify it but no joy, names like Big Eye etc were also thrown around... so thanks for the info. Here's a couple more photos... I know I said it before but I couldn't believe how hard core they were at fighting, it must of circled the boat 30/40 times before it started to tire, some of its runs were mindblowing. We were only about 3 k's offshore and stopped because we saw something getting stuck into bait schools, so we anchored up and floated some pillies and got the spin gear out, ten minutes later one of the pillies went off ... and Bingo!

[samson]

Tunaticer,
The northern blue fin tuna is rarely caught by recreational fisherman and is identicle to the southern southern blue fin tuna which both can share the same waters in this part of the hemisphere, i've spoken to some experts and fisheries about this and the only way to to determine the difference is through DNA and maybe a fin count, but with longtail tuna as their name suggests they have a much longer tail and more slender body and different fin count and grow nowhere near the sizes of their deep water cousins, so if you get a long tail along the east coast under 40kg you can be sure its more than 99% chance its not a blue fin tuna.
Cheers samson

[samson]

Pistol-p
Like i said this is the problem with mis-identification through the use of common names, your not the only one who has it wrong most of the recreactional sector has also myself included since fishing for them for 30 years i refered to them as longtails and northern bluefin tuna thinking they were one and the same,but after asking for confirmation on commercial limits on certain species of tuna which only a couple of guys at fisheries knew anything about, i was shocked to see longtail had alimit of ten where northern bluefin had a zero possession limit,but after much discussion i was informed that they were two varieties of fish but i was still in disbeleif, so after writing and speaking to some fish experts and scientists they gave me confirmation. So i got the guys at modern fishing and fishing world magazines to do some articles on this subject a few years back and to the surprise of most of the writers they had no idea either, and by the way thanks to both the editors for all the free fishing gear too its come in handy.
But hey don't take my word for it speak to fisheries about commercial possession limits on tuna and write some experts i think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Cheers samson

[Pistol_P]

Thanks for the info Samson.

Pete