When Sarah Landry first heard a fishing line fly off its reel, she never imagined a 385-kilogram tuna was on the other end.
The co-owner of fish market Poissonnerie Gagnon in Rimouski, Que., had travelled to the Baie-des-Chaleurs, wedged between the Gaspé Peninsula and New Brunswick, with two fishermen hoping of catching a bluefin tuna typically weighing around 225 kilograms.
About 10 minutes after dropping their lines, they felt movement.
“We concentrated. There were five of us on the boat, it was quite physical work,” said Landry.
“We were exhausted from struggling one hour and 20 minutes of fighting to get the beast.”
She says the team got lucky.
Once the tuna became tired, the fishermen used instruments to tie it up tightly and hoisted it onto the ship. It weighed in at a whopping 385 kilograms, or 850 pounds.
Last year, her brother managed to secure a 330-kilogram tuna, but she says this one has set a new record for their business.
“It really is the biggest. Beating this record will probably be difficult,” said Landry.
“We buy it all the time, that’s one thing, but you know to go and fish it and then live the experience at sea [is another].”
‘Customers can’t wait to try it’
After preparing the fish and transporting it to Rimouski on Thursday, the shop is preparing for a busy day after posting about the extraordinary catch online.
About 215 kilograms of the fish is up for sale starting at 10 a.m. as part of the market’s once-a-year tuna sale.
Landry expects a line, similar to last year’s turnout.
“There’s high demand,” said Landry.
“I’ve doubled the number of employees here.… Customers can’t wait to try it, and the bigger it is, the happier we’re going to make them.”
An ‘exceptional’ catch, says fisherman of 50 years
Richard Desbois, who has been a fisherman for five decades, says this outing was like a sport in itself.
“It’s a big fish that always surprises you,” said Desbois, who is a snow crab fisherman.
This catch is among the largest bluefin tuna he’s ever caught and he says it could go for about $5,000.
“It’s quite exceptional,” said Desbois. “We had a great fight with it.”
He says he’s kept a piece for himself and already has a recipe in mind.
“I marinate it in oil with ginger and a bit of soy sauce,” said Desbois. “It’s perfect. It’s really tender and tasty.”
