New Jersey fishermen catch 718-pound tuna – NBC New York

Two fishermen from New Jersey are making waves with their latest catch.

Kevin Goldberg and Mike Resetar reeled in a 718-pound bluefin tuna off the New Jersey coast that measured 112 inches. It was unlike anything the two experienced fishermen had seen before.

“My mouth dropped and I couldn’t believe my eyes,” Goldberg told the Ocean Daily Voice. “And I’m someone who has seen these fish many times, but not this size.”

How the two actually caught the massive tuna is even more remarkable. It required a four-hour fight and numerous line switches before the fish began to tie itself out.

“We were completely exhausted to the point we had to get a Gatorade just to hydrate,” Goldberg said. “We were down to the backing of the reel — 100 yards of lining.”

Eventually, Goldberg and Resetar were about to harpoon the fish and tie it to the side of the 39-foot fishing boat. They towed the bluefin in around 10 miles to a nearby yacht club where nearly 100 people were gathered to see the action.

“Half the fish was still in the water and we didn’t have a true sense of how big it was until we got to the weigh-in dock,” Goldberg said. “They hoisted the fish up and that was the first time anyone saw it.”

Goldberg has a commercial permit to sell fish but said he can’t do that until June 1. So instead, like he does with many of his catches, he hands it out to his friends, family and local restaurants.