Massive Bluefin Tuna Caught in Dramatic Video: 'Epic Experience'

Dramatic video footage has captured the moment anglers caught a "massive" bluefin tuna off the coast of San Francisco, in what one of the group said was "one of the most epic experiences" of his life.

Adam Irino, 30, from San Jose, California, and three friends managed to land the giant tuna during a fishing trip in November. The fish measured more than 5 feet in length and weighed over 200 pounds.

"I have never seen a fish that big in my life," Irino told Newsweek. "I was in awe of the size of such a massive fish. I did not expect it to be that big."

Irino has been fishing his whole life, but only started looking for tuna this year. The 30-year-old creates fishing content, sharing his adventures on his YouTube channel Die Hard Fishing.

Pacific bluefin tuna are a highly migratory fish that travel vast distances throughout the Pacific Ocean. On average, they measure around 4 feet 11 inches and weigh 130 pounds, figures from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries show. But they can reach a maximum size of almost 10 feet in length and nearly 1,000 pounds in weight.

Pacific bluefin tuna are primarily found in temperate ocean waters but they also occur in the tropics and cooler coastal regions. Most Pacific bluefin tuna catches in U.S. waters occur within around 100 nautical miles off the California coast.

Despite this, the fish—whose rich, tender meat sells for huge sums on commercial markets—were very rarely seen in the San Francisco Bay Area for a period of more than 50 years. It is only in the past half-decade or so that they have started to appear in this region, to the delight of recreational fishermen who highly value them as a catch, given the inherent difficulty of landing one.

It is not clear exactly why bluefin tuna have been reappearing in the Bay Area, but some have proposed that the fish are being attracted by large schools of prey such as anchovies. There is a possibility this trend is linked to the fact that populations are rebounding at an accelerating rate after being overfished for many years.

"Bluefin tuna—such a crazy fish," Irino said in a YouTube video documenting the catch. "I've been fishing in the Bay Area for over 20 years now. And for the majority of that time, there were no bluefin tuna—or at least no one knew that there were any bluefin tuna in the Bay Area until about maybe five or so years ago when they started trickling in."

"Now, it seems like you can almost count on them being here at some point every single year. I've seen some old black-and-white pictures of people bringing in bluefin tuna to different harbors in the Bay Area. So, it seems like historically they were here," he said. "It seems to be a new thing that bluefin tuna, these warm water species are being caught in the dark, colder waters we have here in the Bay Area."

Over the past few years, Irino said he has been trying to work out how to catch a bluefin in the Bay Area. And in October this year, he finally decided to head out on a trip with a friend in an attempt to land one.

For their initial outing, the pair headed to an area where they had heard reports of people catching the fish before. They eventually found a spot where they spotted several tunas jumping all around the boat.

They managed to hook a tuna, battling with the fish for around 45 minutes, but were eventually unsuccessful in reeling it in.

"It was within probably 20 to 30 feet of the boat. And we could actually see the color of the fish," Irino said. "It was unfortunate, but honestly... we almost felt like it was a success just to hook and fight one for so long."

After not managing to catch any tuna that day, they decided to head home and try again the following day in the same spot—but were unsuccessful a second time, despite managing to hook one for a moment.

Around three weeks later, on November 17, the pair headed out again accompanied by two other friends to try a third time. The group departed early in the morning to catch some live bait and headed to a point around 10 miles offshore. Finally, they managed to hook a fish that they thought might be a tuna.

"At that moment, we thought it was a tuna but we weren't 100 percent sure and we had no idea what size it was," Irino said.

All four members of the group helped as they battled with the fish, taking turns to reel it in to ensure everyone was fresh. After around 35 minutes of struggle, the group finally managed to haul the giant tuna into the boat.

"The fish was very powerful, almost pulling me in, and it took three of us to lift it into the boat," Irino told Newsweek.

The group took the tuna back to harbor where they weighed it before dividing it up between themselves to eat. Irino said he has been sharing some with family and friends.

"It was just an insane experience—one that I definitely will never forget," the 30-year-old said in the video. "Just the sheer power of that fish, the effort it took to not only find the fish, but also to fight it and land it."

The biggest fish that Irino had ever caught previously was a sturgeon weighing around 30 pounds.

"This just blew that fish out of the water. I didn't catch it personally, it was more of a team thing, but the sheer difference in size—200 pounds versus 30 pounds—was a crazy jump for me. It's one of the most epic experiences of my life, one that I will never forget."