With market conditions continueing to be difficult and the moratorium by the buys extended through wednesday 7/31, Uber Tuna recently provided some guidance on how to tell if a fish will have quality fat before harvesting.  As only the highest quality fish are getting reasonable prices there is an opportunity to cull fish that will not return value.  Not intended to be a go to guide to harvesting fish but interesting enought that i wanted to share.

BODY SHAPE & FAT

Everyone knows that when it comes to Bluefin Tuna, it's the FAT CONTENT that determines the payout. Fat fish still bring huge prices at auction in Japan, and good prices domestically. 
So how do you know if you have a potential diamond?

Here are a few tips to help you learn to evaluate the shape of your fish for indications of fat:

1. Look at the overall shape of the fish. If it has the shape of an ice cream cone, with a giant head and skinny body, or a mackerel, it's not going to have fat.
Fat tunas look barrel-shaped and all puffed up.

2. Look at the belly. A sunken belly is an external indicator of a skinny fish. Even a very large, round fish could have a sunken belly. Just like with people, if there is no food in the belly, the fish is burning fat to stay alive.
This is why sometimes fishermen think they have a "fat" fish but don't. The overall shape may be round, but a sunken belly is not a good indicator of fat in the meat.

3. Look near the gill plate. If there is a sunken depression adjacent to the gill plate, it is another clue the fish is not going to have fat. The fish has not been feeding well. As with people, if you're looking at a gaunt, thin face you can expect the person will be thin.

This is not meant to be the ultimate guide to grading your fish, but should help you educate yourself on your catch. 
Knowledge is Power.

Thanks to the folks at Uber Tuna (Sea Fresh USA) check them out.

 

What should I do if a fish cannot be sold?

NOAA Fisheries regulations (50 CFR 635.5 and 635.31) require BFT to be sold only to Atlantic tunas dealers.

In the event a fish cannot be sold, the vessel operator must contact a NOAA Fisheries enforcement agent at 978-281-9213 immediately upon landing the BFTand, if requested, make the fish available to enforcement for tagging.  Alternatively, an Atlantic tunas dealer can tag the BFT and report it as being “landed but not sold,” but this is solely at the dealer’s discretion.

All BFT landed but not sold will be applied to the quota category according to the permit of the vessel from which it was landed.