i will look forwar to seeing that kierin, my mind is not closed. i will pm you with my contact details, or you can email it to me at
[email protected]i have seen many tuna in my time but only one bigeye, that is one that proved to be so.
it was during the whakatane tuna event a few years back, and i was asked by the boat skipper to id the 130kg fish. i called it a y/f based on the fact that the eye appeared normal size, the anal fin and tail fins were normal. it wasnt obeese, it was a long sleek fish. the colour was the same as the 40kg fish we had landed the same day.
if it was a y/f it was worth a $100.000 bonus for the first y/f over 100kg. so this id was really important. it had taken a surface lure, very rare for a bigeye, in waters about 24deg. bigeye prefer water around 14deg
the liver was sent to wellington where an expert called it a bigeye based on the shape and condition of the liver. he commented that this was the only way a bigeye could be ided for sure.
nowdays dna can be used.
i admit i was proved wrong then, but so were many others, very few weighmasters can tell the difference and leave the call to the angler.
on thing i will say is nobody could id these fish from the photo posted on this thread.
p.s. we do indeed still get y/f in new zealand commercial boats are getting them on longlines of the west coast and reports of large numbers just north of white this week.
new world were selling y/f tuna here last week. maybe this is the year they return.
she was only a fishermans daughter, but she reeled at the sight of my rod!.