We're in Chatham, Massachusetts, in the middle of Cape Cod.

New England is one of the most beautiful and interesting places in the country.

It's late June here and the birds have migrated north, and so have the fish, including the Atlantic bluefin tuna.

Bluefin tuna spawn in the Gulf of Mexico and then head north off the coast of New England to feed for about 4 to 5 months every summer.

Well, there's not many bluefin tuna left.

They've declined over 82% in the last 40 years, but we're going to try to catch one today not to eat it, but to tag it as part of a program to save these magnificent fish.

So sit back and relax, because the next half hour is an adventure you won't want to miss.

♪ Welcome to Windows to the Wild.

I'm Lisa Densmore.

Over the next half hour, we're going to treat you to a slice of our natural world as we search the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Cod for Atlantic bluefin tuna.

♪ [engine roaring] ♪ Nah.

That’s pretty good.

♪ Atlantic bluefin tuna return here on Cape Cod every year after spawning in the Gulf of Mexico.

But they're susceptible to being caught by surface longlines as bycatch.

What's more is that sport fishermen and harpooneers value this very active, aggressive fish and they fetch a pretty penny in the Japanese sushi market.

One big fish can often go for over $100,000.

Atlantic bluefin tuna have a lot more problems than just overfishing, too.

One of their primary food sources, Atlantic herring, are also in decline.

And no one really knows yet how the Gulf Oil Spill has affected their ability to reproduce.

Well, we're hoping to help find out.

On this boat today, as well as one other boat that's with us you can see offshore, we're going to be tagging bluefin tuna.

Now, these tags work a lot like a migratory bird tag.

The next person to catch that fish is going to report that tag.

And that helps scientists determine the range of these top-of-the-food-chain predators.

Well, I'm a little nervous about catching one of these fish.

The largest thing I've ever caught before is about a 5 lb.

rainbow trout, maybe 22 in.

long.

An adult bluefin tuna can be 6.5 ft.

long that's about a foot longer than me and weigh over 500 pounds.

Well, we’ll see if we can land one.

♪ [line reeling] This is a called a spreader bar.

You can see it's got one bird on it here.

This makes it float somewhat.

Also creates a lot of splash, a lot more than a regular bar does.

We've got 14 squid here.

This is a green and brown one.

We nickname this one the chameleon.

It's one of our most popular bars.

We catch a lot of fish on this bar.

And as you can see, it's 14.

And then you have one hook bait at the very end, and it's a different color and a different size.

The biggest misconception about these is it looks like squid.

Call it a squid rake.

Call it a spreader bar.

Everyone thinks that it looks like a school of squid, but in fact these fish actually think they're sand eels.

But you always have your hook bait in a different color and a different size and further away from any of these.

Different color, different size, it looks different.

It’s the odd man out of the whole spreader bar.

That's the one the tuna fish eats.

♪ [line reeling] Takes a big hook to catch a big fish.

This hook is about three inches from the top to the bottom, and then it curves up about another inch and a half.

I hate to get that in my lip, but that's what it takes to bring in a big tuna.

♪ Eric... do you know what kind of whales those are?

Yeah, they’re humpbacks.

♪ It's a little bit of a waiting game out here.

We've got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven rods out.

And if you look at the rigging, everything goes up in the air, and when a fish hits, the rigging lets go of the line.

But at this point, we're basically trolling and we're waiting for the tuna.

There are some indicators out here.

There's a fish.

Looked like a blue fish that just jumped.

There are indicators out here.

I told you.

We've seen humpback whales.

We look for blue fish.

We look for other fish that feed.

Looks like we've got a little action.

Is it a striper?

Yep.

Wow, that’s a nice-sized striper.

You know, on any given day, I just assume, Keep a striper or blue fish to eat it.

But we're not here to eat fish.

We're here to tag them.

♪ Eric... what are you looking for out here?

How do you find the fish?

Well, I mean, we have an advantage because that's all we do, is tuna fish.

So we're out here most days.

We usually fish at least 5 or 6 days a week... when business is good.

We're always look at our fish finder.

You know, we've got a great Raymarine product that will mark fish, and I can differentiate between the striped bass, bluefish, tuna fish, and bait fish by the colors and by the patterns.

So that's like that's one of the most important things.

But what we really look for is the whales what we call look for the life.

You're looking for the birds.

You're looking for the whales.

You'll see the bait fish on the surface.

And the birds... without birds, you usually don't catch tuna fish.

They can be crucial.

Why birds?

Because birds know everything.

They are the barometer for the sea.

I mean, they really they find the fish.

They find the whales.

They find the bait.

In a tuna’s world, 90% of the time is spent looking up.

They're always looking up.

They swim through the water column and they're looking up, and that's why we trawl surface lures to imitate a school of fish, you know, crashing on the surface.

♪ Eric, have you noticed more or less fish bluefin tuna over the years that you've been fishing?

Well, I mean, I've been out here since 98, and I can only speak on what I've seen and what I've watched.

And, you know, we've lost a lot of the really big giants.

They just don't come here in the numbers that we used to see.

And that's because they've shifted and gone to Canada.

Those were the fish that we used to get.

And then they've also shifted and gone out to to Georges Bank.

And that's where the commercial guys were last year and did very, very well and almost caught our quota for the first time in about five years.

But what we've seen locally right here, and we're only seven miles off of Chatham today, are tons and tons and tons of small juvenile bluefin.

And specifically, the strong year class, they're running about 78 in.

But what I'm seeing this year is I've seen fish from from 55 in.

to low-60 in.

to low-70 in.

to mid-to-upper-70s and mid-80s.

So you've got 5 to 6 different distinct year classes of fish that we've already caught.

And we've only been fishing for three weeks.

That's a good sign then?

It's a phenomenal sign because it shows that you're seeing recruitment and you're seeing successful reproduction and breeding for the future.

♪ He’s beautiful.

But we're not looking for stripers.

We want tuna.

♪ I'm with Andre Boustany.

He's a post-doctorate at Duke University, and his doctorate was on bluefin tuna.

So Andre, why should we care about bluefin tuna?

Why are they important to the ocean ecosystem?

Number one: they're just a beautiful, amazing fish.

So that's reason enough to care in my opinion.

As far as the ocean ecosystem, they're a top predator.

So they have a very important role in the ecosystem eating a lot of things beneath them.

So they just add to the overall health of the ecosystem by having them out there.

A lot of times when you remove a top predator like that, it could be a keystone species, and that'll cause a lot of unintended consequences with... their normal prey items a lot of their prey items getting out of whack and out- competing other species... Overpopulating.

Yeah, overpopulating.

So it can cause a lot of disruption to the ecosystem if you start removing these keystone species that are really important to the ecosystem’s health.

There are a couple different kinds of tags.

So the tag that we're using, it doesn't have any kind of electronics in it.

It's just a straight tag.

What do you hope to learn from those tags?

So with the regular non-electronic tags, you get where that fish was originally caught, where it was tagged, and where it was released.

And you can also get a link from that fish, as it was tagged and released.

And then if that fish is ever caught, someone can report that tag.

Each tag has an individual tag number and a phone number to call.

That can be reported by the fisherman who caught it.

And so you'll see where it was released and where it went.

And also, you know, the time at large so how long it was out swimming in the ocean.

And if they got the length when it was released and also when it was recaptured, you can get a good idea of growth rate.

A lot of the growth curves were based on tag-and-recaptures; just based on the growth rate over time.

♪ [line reeling] So we’re reeling in briefly to get out of the school of bluefish.

We're not looking for bluefish even though there might be tuna among the bluefish.

We basically are looking for tuna.

♪ [frantic chatter] No, the one behind you.

The one behind you.

You reel that one in Someone reel the one behind you.

♪ [line reeling] So the fish is running.

That's how you know it's a tuna.

Because as soon as that tuna hits, it's going to start running unlike the bluefish, which just kinda sit there.

Okay.

Trying.

Thank you.

Wow, that’s a powerful fish.

Yep.

[inaudible].

Go go go.

Go go go.

♪ [line reeling] This is a big fish.

Very big fish.

Holy moly.

Up here?

Yep.

Gotta bring this leg forward.

It’s a little bit of a balancing act here.

[line reeling] You’re doing great.

Good job.

Don’t stop reeling.

Don’t stop reeling.

He took a long run.

He’s tired now.

Just bring it right in.

♪ Reeling.

I’m reeling.

♪ [line reeling] [inaudible] Almost there.

Keep going.

So is he gonna run when he sees the boat?

Oh he’ll show you a lot in the boat.

Yeah.

Because he took one long run.

He kinda spent his energy.

Now as you crank him in, I’m sure he’ll show you some more.

This is what makes it worth getting up at 2:30 in the morning.

Step forward.

Step forward.

Okay.

All right, you're not going anywhere.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

We're tight.

So basically, we’re just trying to tire him out and get him in this boat; get a tag on him.

♪ Come on, buddy.

I am literally leaning back against this fish.

I mean, like, it can hold my weight.

♪ [line reeling] You kinda get a feel for it, like when he’s turning and coming.

So how much line was out?

250 yards.

You're back on the monitor.

He’s not that far away.

Okay.

But like I said, this battle’s probably not anywhere close to done.

♪ [line reeling] Start doing some short pumps when he gets straight up and down.

You can do like a crank at a time.

Just slowly try to bring him up.

Okay.

How deep is he?

He’s probably 20 ft.

down right now.

He's not done yet.

He’s taking the line.

And, you know, as he’s taking the line, he’s forced against that drag and he’s tiring out.

Me too!

I’m tired out too!

The idea is for you to win [chuckling] and not him.

Yeah.

This is the old fight between man and beast underwater beast.

Oh, jeez.

He's a big beast.

All right, just a short pump.

So I’m gonna go nice and easy.

Now ready?

A crank at a time here.

He's not letting me do much right now.

Yep.

That’s fine.

He's resting.

I'm resting.

He’s just trying to run.

The rods doing a lot of this work.

♪ Yep.

I’m watching for it.

Reel reel reel.

Reel reel reel.

Go this way.

Go this way.

Yep, there we go.

Yeah, when he does a circle, sometimes that gives me a moment of reel.

♪ [line reeling] I wish I could just tell him, We're just putting a tag on you.

It's okay.

I know, huh?

But no.

He’s got some fight.

I can see why sport fishermen love this fish.

Yeah.

They fight.

This is action.

Pound for pound, these fish fight very hard.

Wow.

Such an incredible fish.

Wow.

He's beautiful.

I can see him now.

Wow.

Look at him.

I'm sorry.

It's okay.

That is a bluefin tuna.

70 in.

fish.

Cool!

Okay, so we're gonna get the tag on him.

Okay.

That's all it is.

So we need An orange streamer.

All right, so, Andre, when you look at this fish, how do you know it's a bluefin tuna?

What is it that says bluefin?

The first thing that says bluefin is the size.

There are not many other tunas that are going to get this big, especially not around here.

A bigeye or a yellowfin tuna could, on rare occasion, get that big, but... for the most part around here, the only tuna you're going to see this big is bluefin.

And also the coloration, there's kind of a blue streak here and also modeling to the belly which is very indicative of a bluefin as opposed to a yellowfin which is going to have more of a striping pattern.

Hang on you guys.

One sec.

Give him a sec.

All right.

And so on the fins take a look at the fins.

And the shorter pectoral fin is also going to be indicative of bluefin.

A yellowfin is going to have a longer pectoral fin and also a longer second dorsal fin and anal fin.

All right.

He’s going in the water, guys.

All right, we got to get him back.

Easy.

And he’s going back in... Watch his fin there.

Wow, he's really fired up.

I gotta go that way.

♪ Wow, he’s fired up!

He is fired up!

Wooohooo!

No blood.

Hook right in the corner of the jaw.

This fish will do fine!

Look how blue he is!

So I don't know if that shows up on the video or not, but you see, like, right between that dark on the back and the light on the belly, there's that blue streak.

Bluefin are going to have much bluer hue there than a yellowfin will.

A yellowfin has more of a yellow coloration there.

Well, right now we're trying to revive him.

Oh.

He's great.

He's gonna be just fine.

He’s swimming right at me!

That's a good the color of that blue streak and how iridescent it is it's also a good indicator of how healthy the fish is.

So when they're really tired, a lot of times that will go dull.

Right now, he's got some real good coloration, so he's a real healthy, sprightly fish.

Look at him swim, guys.

This is beautiful!

Yeah, check out his tail.

70 inches!

You probably about a buck-75, maybe a buck-80.

Well, that's by far the biggest fish I've ever caught.

Although that was a team effort, I can’t say I. We caught.

We all caught.

No, that’s great.

You did a great job, Lisa.

♪ And the day is still young.

♪ That was incredible.

See how fast that fish was?

You release the fish with your hand like you would a little brook trout.

So does he just sort of release himself or do you know when to let him go?

Yeah, he's swimming really good.

This is going to be a 100% healthy release.

I'm really happy with that.

The whole key is to use the right size tackle to keep it sporting.

But to get the fish to the boat in a reasonable time so you can get a good, clean release.

You know, that was hooked right in the corner jaw.

No damage to the fish, no blood.

You can clearly see he's swimming and ready to go, but you always want to make sure.

So you swim him a few extra minutes before you let him go.

But that's going to be 100% no problem.

That's what today was supposed to be like.

Boy, the color is beautiful.

I can see why they're blue.

Oh!

He swam right into the boat!

So bluefin tuna can swim up to 40 miles an hour or more.

And we're probably puttering along right now at a couple of knots, so... he can easily keep up while he’s being revived.

By running water through his gills now, that's just basically reviving and reoxygenating it.

So a 70 in.

fish.

Let's see.

I'm 5’8 .

So I'm 68 in.

tall.

That's fish is two inches taller than me.

Outweighs me by about 60 pounds.

All right, let's let him go.

♪ Oh, yeah, no problem!

Thank you!

So what do you think?

Amazing.

That was awesome!

You did a great job on the rod, too.

I mean, you really did.

Good job.

Good job, boys!

Welcome to the tuna club.

♪ Eric, when you sell a fish, what is the market like for bluefin tuna?

I mean, there's this reputation that the Japanese sushi trade has you know, there's such a huge demand, and fish can bring in this huge price.

So that's actually hurting the fishery, you know?

Right.

Well.

People are taking too many fish.

Well, you know, they had the big thing at the first of the year where that fish sold for what was it $280,000.

So when you see that, the average person on the street thinks bluefin tuna and they see dollar signs, and the reality is that just doesn't happen.

You know, even in the glory days back in the 80s well, long before I was in this fishery, when I was just bass fishing in the bay they would get $20 to $30 a pound.

It wasn't uncommon for the fishermen to get that.

Those days are done.

I mean, last year, if you saw anything from $8 to $14 a pound, you were doing great.

And that sounds like you know, to a lot of people, that sounds like a lot, Oh, they might get $4,000 for a fish.

But when you break it down, especially the guys when they were steaming out to George's Bank and it was taking them 12 hours to get there and they were burning $1,200 in fuel for a two-day trip, if they didn't catch three fish, plus if they got three guys on the boat, and you break it down expense-wise, it’s not like it's making a ton of money.

So, for us, there are very few people.

In fact, less than 10% of the commercial fishermen are really making any viable money from that fishery.

There's a few harpoon boats and a few general category boats that actually make money selling bluefin tuna.

Most people, it's just a supplement.

♪ Andre, if you had one wish for the bluefin tuna, what would it be?

I would wish that they would recover.

You know?

And it's not a big wish.

It doesn't need a miracle.

It just needs some proper management, you know, cutting back on quotas, maintaining fishing at or below the quotas, setting scientifically reasonable quotas.

So it's not like we need drastic measures, like we need to shut down fisheries completely and stop fishing for them.

What we just really need is more responsible management and more responsible enforcement.

And that’s throughout the ocean.

♪ A 200 lb.

Atlantic bluefin tuna sure is the largest fish I've ever caught.

Boy, was that exciting!

If the conservation effort behind the Atlantic bluefin is anything like the effort it takes to land one, I'm pretty confident that fish has a fighting chance.

I'm Lisa Densmore.

I'll see you next time on Windows to the Wild.

♪