The Great Tunnies 



The only known species is the tuna (Thunnus thynnus). 



This great fish is pelagic in its habits and is found in all 

 warm seas. In the Atlantic it occurs as far north as Newfound- 

 land and the Loffoden Islands, and on the California coast at 

 least to Monterey Bay. It is the "tuna" of the Mediterranean 

 and of California and the "tunny" of the English. On our 

 Atlantic Coast it is the "tunny," "horse mackerel," or "great 

 albacore." They appear on our Atlantic Coast early in summer 

 and remain until October. On some occasions they are very 

 abundant, for so large a fish. During one season one fisherman 

 harpooned 30 of these monsters which weighed in the aggregate 

 at least 30,000 pounds. They are harpooned on the surface of 

 the water, after the manner of taking the sword-fish. 



The tuna attains a very great size and is the largest of the 

 mackerel family. A length of 10 or more feet and a weight of 

 1,500 pounds has been recorded. One taken in 1838, off Cape 

 Ann, was 15 feet long and weighed 1,000 pounds. They do 

 not appear to reach so great a size on the coast of Europe, a 

 5oo-pound fish there being considered a monster. Nor do they 

 reach so large a size on the California Coast, the largest example 

 taken with rod and line at Santa Catalina having weighed but 

 251 pounds. An example measuring 8 feet in length was seen 

 by us at Monterey Bay. 



On our Atlantic Coast this fish, there called the horse 

 mackerel, has never attained any reputation as a game-fish, but 

 on the coast of southern California it is one of the monsters 

 much sought by the daring anglers who frequent the famous 

 Santa Catalina resort. Professor Charles F. Holder, who has 

 written so much and so entertainingly concerning the game-fishes 

 of southern California, says "The most sensational fish of these 

 waters is the leaping tuna, which well compares with the tar- 

 pon, and personally I prefer it to its Florida and Texas rival, 

 and in my experience, the average large tuna is a match for two 

 tarpons of the same size. The tuna is the tiger of the Califor- 

 nia seas, a living meteor which strikes like a whirlwind, and 

 when played with a rod that is not a billiard cue or a club in 

 stiffness, will give the average man the contest of his life. My 

 idea of a rod is a 7 or 8^-foot greenheart or split bamboo, 

 with a good cork grip above the reel, the latter of Edward von 

 Hoff make, with a leather pad, break and click. The line should 



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