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Fidel tuna tagged for the third time

created on: 23.07.2019 | by: Jürgen Oeder | Category(s): Bluefin tuna, Mallorca, Destinations

Something like this can’t really happen: Skipper Vince Riera marked a tuna in front of Alcudia/Mallorca last Friday – but he tagged it for the third time!! Guest and angler was Chris Flower, treasurer of the British Sea Fishing Club SBCI.

Vince remembers:

We had laid out the rods and talked to Chris about his work for the club, when the strike came. A nice run and Chris fought the fish with a great technique. The fight lasted about an hour, and when the fish showed up, we noticed he had a spaghetti day. Normally we tag tuna in the water and only get an approximate size. This time I took the fish on board to cut off the old spaghetti day and attach a new one. All this happened in less than 3 minutes, then the fish was released and shot off like a rocket.

Its shape, length of 163 cm and the season told me that the tuna belongs to the local stock of tuna that stay around the island all year long.

After we finished celebrating Chris’ fish, we checked the tagging card for the day we had removed from the tuna. It had been caught by friend Rene in May of this year, so only 2 months ago! It’s amazing to catch the same fish twice in a year, so I was very happy.

About 10 minutes later Charlotte came out of the cabin with a huge grin on her face and held the tagging card from May, she turned it around and I read the word RECAPTURED…… Then I remembered that a tuna we had caught with Rene in May had already been a second catch. We checked it carefully and it was true, this was the third time we had caught this fish!

The story is so incredible that I am happy to have the fight on video and in Chris of course a witness beyond all doubt.

Now this fish is a special individual because of his “loyalty” to me. That’s why I baptized him Fidel – and wish him a long life.

This was the highlight of also otherwise fish-rich days off Alcudia. Every guest caught his bluefin, although it was the days after full moon. Especially beautiful: Tomeo, the father of little Filipe, had promised the 8-year-old an afternoon of light trolling. And what a day it was!

Partly big Barracudas and a beautiful Dentex demanded everything from the boy. And his shining eyes are proof to me that we don’t have to worry about offspring again.