TUNA, BLUEFIN
The Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is a species of tuna in the Scombridae family. The Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is a close relative of the other two bluefin tuna species—the Pacific bluefin tuna and the southern bluefin tuna. It may exceed 450 kilograms (990 lb) in weight, and rival the black marlin, blue marlin and swordfish as the largest Perciformes. Throughout recorded history, the Atlantic bluefin tuna has been highly prized as a food fish. Besides their commercial value as food, the great size, speed, and power they display as apex predators has attracted the admiration of fishermen, writers, and scientists.
The body of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is rhomboidal in profile and robust. The head is conical and the mouth rather large. The head contains a "pineal window" that allows the fish to navigate over its multiple thousands of mile range. The color is dark blue above and gray below with a gold coruscation covering the body and bright yellow caudal finlets. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna can be distinguished from other family members by the relatively short length of their pectoral fins. Their livers have a unique characteristic in that they are covered with blood vessels (striated). In other tunas with short pectoral fins, such vessels are either not present or present in small numbers along the edges.
A good way to catch a Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is to hook live bait, like whiting or herring, through the nose. Place your bait at various depths to create an attractive setup, setting out the shallowest lines first and the deepest lines last so that the lines don't become tangled. Cut whiting or herring in 3 to 4 pieces to create a chum slick. Toss the pieces off of the transom until you have a visible chum click. You need to toss in new pieces every minute or so to keep the chum slick constant. Also, make sure that your hooked baits are within the chum slick. Then set the balloon and allow the bait to drift away from the boat.
International
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna live in subtropical and temperate waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna have become extinct in the Black Sea. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna are highly migratory and limited numbers of individuals may cross the Atlantic in as little as two months and are widely distributed throughout the Atlantic and can be found from Newfoundland all the way to the coast of Brazil. They range in the eastern Atlantic as far north as Norway and down to northern West Africa.