The 2023 Casco Bay Bluefin Bonanza was one for the ages. After four days of fishing, contestants brought in an unprecedented 66 giant bluefin tuna to the scales. All five place-holding fish were over 700 pounds and only 2 pounds separated 2nd and 3rd place, 739 and 737, respectively, while three pounds separated 4th and 5th place, 707 and 704.
When the scales closed on the final day of the 2023 Bluefin Bonanza, Capt. Joseph Pinkham and the crew of My Three Blondes had secured the win with their 756-pound bluefin. Their victory was well earned among a record number of participants and fish landed.
“This year’s field and the fish they brought in blows away previous tournaments,” said Bluefin Bonanza president and tournament director Bob Humphrey. Of the 64 boats competing in Maine’s premiere tuna tournament, 34 boats brought 66 fish to the tournament scales at Port Habror Marine in South Portland, Maine. “That’s more than 50% of boats, and more than double the number of fish caught [over] the previous year,” said head weighmaster Brian Jones. It’s also just 19 fish short of the total fish landed from the previous four years combined!
Awards were as follows:
Carhartt First Fish Landed – Lucy Ella, Capt. Cory LeDuc, 363 lbs., $1,000;
Largest Fish, Day 1 – Sharpe Hooks, Capt. Christian Yanarella, 739 lbs., $1,000;
Largest Fish, Day 2 – Opportunaty, Capt. Luke Higgins, 701 lbs., $1,000;
Largest Fish, Day 3 – Bad Medicine, Capt. Blaine Lund, 643 lbs., $1,000;
Largest Fish, Day 4 – My Three Blonds, Capt. Joseph Pinkham, 756 lbs., $1,000;
Cumulative Weight – Endorfin, Capt. Cameron Thorp, 2,456 lbs., $1,000
Fifth Place – Redemption, Capt. Isaac Molt, 704 lbs., $1,500
Fourth Place – Backstabber, Capt. Pete Speeches, 707 lbs., $3,000
Third Place – Endorfin, Capt. Cameron Thorp, 737 lbs., $6,000
Second Place – Sharpe Hooks, Capt. Christian Yanarella, 739 lbs., $12,500
First Place – My Three Blondes, Capt. Joseph Pinkham, 756 lbs., $25,000
Proceeds from the event, which included two youth events, four fishing days and an awards and fundraising dinner will go toward community college scholarships for students enrolled in trades and marine science programs, internships for students from the University of Maine working at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) and an endowment with the University of Maine Foundation supporting bluefin tuna research at the University of Maine’s Pelagic Fisheries Lab at GMRI.
From these landings, scientists were able to collect valuable tissue samples that inform the scientific community about how old these fish are, whether they were spawned in the Mediterranean Sea or the western Atlantic, what they are eating, their reproductive stage and add to two new projects aimed at estimating population biomass and sex-specific growth.
“Now that we’ve entered into a new assessment and management framework under what’s known as Management Strategy Evaluation, the data needs for Atlantic bluefin tuna are increasing,” said Pelagic Fisheries Lab head Dr. Walt Golet. “Collaborations between the scientific community and the bluefin industry, especially tournaments like the Bluefin Bonanza, give us opportunities to not only collect these important samples and fill information gaps, but to interact with and share our research with members of the public.”
“The tournament also provides a way for up and coming fisheries biologists/scientists to get on the job training and firsthand experience working with the fishing industry,” added Golet. “This is critical as these are the scientists who will be responsible for managing the fishery for the next generation and there is no better way learn and get the necessary skills to do this work than to be on the ground where the action is.”
By all accounts, the 2023 Bluefin Bonanza was a big success for all involved. Tournament organizers were confident they will be able to continue funding community college scholarships in the trades and bluefin research at current levels, increase their support of internships and add to a new scholarship at Southern Maine Community College for paramedicine. “Thanks to the tremendous support we receive from our community we continue to grow and expand our reach,” Humphrey concluded.
For more information, check out the Casco Bay Bluefin Bonanza on Facebook visit: www.bluefinbonanza.org or email [email protected]
