Fisherman Catches 1,000 lb Tuna

One fisherman landed the catch of his life after he reeled in an enormous bluefin tuna that weighed a whopping 1,000lbs.

Marc Towers, 30, wrestled with the huge fish for two hours before he pulled it to the surface of the water off the coast of Canso in Nova Scotia.

It was worth the effort and the wait as the fish is expected to sell for £20,000 in Japan and make 20,000 pieces of sushi.

Neil Cooke, who was on the fishing trip with Mr Towers, said: ‘We didn't realize how big it was until it was about 15 feet away from the surface.

‘It took Marc two hours to pull in, and we had started to see the shape of it when the skipper said “This could be a big fish”.

‘All of a sudden it broke the surface and everyone said “It’s a monster!”’

The fish was so huge that the crew was unable to haul it onto the boat and had to tie a rope around it to drag it four miles back to the dock.

Mr Cooke, 37, added: ‘The deck hand made a lasso and tied it around the end of the fish and we dragged it through the water back to the dock.’

When the boat arrived back at the dock, the fish was lifted by a crane from the water and onto a forklift truck which carried the giant fish over to a set a scales.

Mr Cooke, owner of Bournemouth Fishing Lodge in Dorset said: ‘We saw 1,000lb come up on screen which was brilliant.’

The crew transferred the fish to a fridge and they are planning on selling it in Japan where Atlantic Bluefin tuna - Thunnus thynnus in Latin – is frequently made into sushi.

The pair, who go on fishing trips together, decided to visit Nova Scotia with the aim of catching a Bluefin tuna.

They went during the commercial season when fish that are usually set free after being caught are taken back to the dock and sold.

The record for a Bluefin tuna is held by Ken Fraser who caught a 1,496-pound specimen off the coast of Nova Scotia in 1979.