A Pacific bluefin tuna weighing 335 kilograms was offloaded Sunday at Awase Fishing Port in Okinawa City.

According to Manabu Uesato, the captain of Rua-maru, the boat that had caught the tuna, it is quite rare here to catch a fish weighing in the 330-kilogram range. It was the first giant fish brought to Awase Fishing Port this year.

According to Uesato, they hooked the fish a little past 5 a.m. Saturday east of Miyako Island. Three men fought for four hours to bring the fish in, and finally had to use a hydraulic UNIC crane to lift it onboard the boat. The Rua-maru returned to Awase Port around noon on Sunday.

Hiroshi Miyagi, a 70-year-old fisherman who participated in the catch, said, “I suppose it’s the first time to have such a big tuna like this here in Awase.” Captain Uesato said, “I was so surprised with its size. It’s my record fish.”

The tuna was filleted and sold at the port on Monday.

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