AN albacore tuna released by Nowra SFC boat, Iceberg, in 2008 has been recaptured off New Zealand! The fish measured at 70 cm and estimated to be 7 kg when tagged by Mitchell Preston fishing the Jervis Bay Canyons, NSW, on 8 November 2008.
After a whopping 3434 days at liberty, on 4 April 2018, a NZ commercial longliner recaptured the albacore whilst fishing off the North Eastern tip of New Zealand, 1227 nautical miles (2272 km) from its original release location. The albacore had grown to 1 m in length and an estimated 20 kg during its 9 years and 7 months at liberty.
This recapture marks the longest time at liberty recorded for an albacore released under the program and eclipses the previous record of 2567 days held by an albacore that was recaptured wide of Eden in 2004.
For more information on the NSW DPI Game Fish Tagging Program, click HERE.
