If I just landed a tuna, than what next?

[MPT]

Hey fellow saltys, what is the best way to process those albacores soon as they hit the deck? And what should I do to the catch on the long trek back to port? :whazzup:

[Mark Mc]

Hi MPT, your question gets asked every year, and it can never be answered enough. You'll hear many answers. Before giving mine, I'll refer you to THE authority, the UC Davis Seafood Extension, at: http://seafood.ucdavis.edu/Pubs/albacore.htm

This will tell you most everything you need to know. What you will find after some number of trips, is that to properly handle albacore, you really need lots of cooler space, fishbox space, ice, and time. When you find yourself luckily in a wide open tuna bite, it's real easy to end up with 20 or 30 tuna on the boat, and end up not being able to process them PROPERLY. If not handled well, tuna will build up histamine which at minimum will degrade the meat; at worst it can lead to scombrois poisining in those who eat it. It's all about cooling the fish down as quickly as possible.

For the highest quality (sashimi grade), here's what we do: (1) Upon landing, immediately spike the brain. (2) Bleed it; sometimes the hooking and especially the gaffing will get a good stream of blood. The best bleeding cut is the "pectoral" cut, a 1/2 inch incision, 1 - 2 inches behind the base of the pectoral fin, and about 1/2 inch above the lateral line. You will not believe how the blood squirts out of this cut. (3) Remove the guts & gills. Not many people do this, but this removes "hot" organs (thus heat), and allows faster cooling of the core. (4) After a final rinse, put the fish in either your ice "slurry" or "slush" (2/3 fresh water ice, 1/2 salt water) or if you don't have a slush tank, pack them in ice. Removing the guts now allows you to pack ice in the belly, which speeds up the cooling of the core area. You'll also find that gutting on-board makes for a much cleaner final filleting: no bile / gut juices to get on your loins (especially the coveted belly meat).

You will find that to do all this, catching 4 or 5 fish an hour will keep you going with all this on-board processing. If you get greedy and exceed your processing capability, your product quality goes way down.

Final note: bleeding tuna make a real mess, so be prepared to have blood just about everywhere. Some folks like to have a medium sized trash can with sea water, to dunk the fish in while they bleed. Another trick invented by Marty is to hang the fish over the side by a rope noosed around the tail.

Now you can eat your raw tuna with confidence! Good luck, Mark Mc

[Mark Mc]

"2/3 fresh water ice, 1/2 salt water" - Oops, no it's not new math. Should be 2/3 fresh, 1/3 salt. See the UC Davis article for specifics on brine solutions. - Mark Mc

[Pilar]

Mark, interesting and informative answer. We have done it a little differently, but we were just making up as we went.

That bleed cut sounds like something to try. I have had spotty results with bleeding using a gill or chin cut.

Does the spike stop the tail rattle? You know, they probably get all bruised up when they all go off in the slush box.

What happens on my boat is the fish comes on the boat, it gets cut before it starts pounding the deck and the hook gets pulled out. I don't bonk them because it ruins the top loin near the head, it goes all the way to the nose.

Then Charlie goes into a 35 gallon tote, with a lid.This tote has a 5 gallon bucket of seawater and three or four 10# blocks and maybe 20# of shave ice. Slap the lid on and wait till the earthquake stops. Emphasis on 'with a lid' because the water and blood sprays everywhere.

20 minutes later, Charlie ends up in a cooler or fish box packed in ice.

So far we have seen the yellow histamine spots on only a few fish and usually the last fish caught as we stop grinding them when the ice runs out.

I have a few questions about the method you describe. Does the water inside the belly, foul the meat? Where is this method practiced? It sounds like some kind of standard for sushi grade fish.

Great post and points well taken. We make efforts to get the best Tuna we can but there is always more to know and things to do different.

Carking the Tuna as you catch them sounds like a challenge. Where is my bait boy when you need him?

[bait boy]

right here willing and ready as usual. Ill see you on friday or thursday afternoon for the ride down.

Halibacore here we come.

John,
I know how to run a knife in swells and chop :grin: , I just don't know if I can come up with the money for another try. :smile:

[Mark Mc]

Hi John! Regarding spiking & gutting/gilling: The spiking really does work. Using a skinny philips screwdriver, or a similar implement, you go back at a slight angle through the soft spot. It takes just a few fish practice. When you hit that "spot" you really know it: the fish shivers for a few seconds, then it's over. This actually interferes with the temperature & histamine regulation mechanism (a good thing), as well as holding them still. Yet the blood will still be pumping after the cut. And no, we haven't noticed any harm by ice/water touching the inside belly meat. There is still a lining in there that isolates the meat, so it's not the same as water on bare meat. And the gutting is actually quite easy once you learn the trick. Unlike a salmon, with tuna the guts are only attached at the aft end. So with a small (2-3 inch) cut at the "rear end" you go in and sever the last piece of intestine. Then you cut most of the gills out, but leave them attached to the organs. Yank the gills and the whole mess comes out with them, in one gob. I still end up cutting the belly up further, to get ice in, even though a 2 inch cut is all you need to sever the "back end" guts.

In an e-mail to me, Bob Price (the UC Davis tuna expert) agreed that gutting is a great way to hasten the chilling process, if you have the means to do it.

[avid]

While looking around for Tuna care information I found this article. It seems to echo what the experts here have said but I thought everyone might be interested in it because if reputedly comes from Japanese Sashimi experts.

Look about half-way down on this page for the original:

http://www.newportbait.com/newpage12.htm

Here is the article:

Tuna Story by Jim Story, June 21st

I read this in an article by Gary Caputi in Dockwalk, a newspaper dedicated
to professional yacht crews, and thought it would interest the list. He
explains how the flavor, color, opacity and texture of tuna vary depending
how it is handled after being caught. He attended a seminar on caring for
your catch given by two professors from Japan (with translators) who said
the quality of tuna depends on what happens the first few minutes after the
fish hits the deck. I'll summarize as best I can.First have lots and lots of
ice. Icing a tuna is the last but most important step. Gaff the fish in the
head and gently bring aboard. Don't bounce on the deck, it bruises the meat.
Lay it on a soft cushion. To prevent flailing, cover the eyes with a wet
towel. Make a cut to the bone just forward of the caudal fin, disconnecting
the muscle and tendons that control the tail. Do this on both sides. (Most
of this applies to rod and reel catches, but a freediver could make this cut
in the water, I believe.Cut # 2 - lift the pectoral fin and locate the
lateral line close to its base. Make a cut 2" deep that pierces the major
blood vessels of the lateral line. Do on both sides.Cut #3 - Place the blade
under the top of the gill plate and cut forward 6 to 8 inches. Using both
hands bend the gill plate forward, cracking it and exposing the gill rakers.
Disconnect top and bottom connecting points with a knife. Do on both sides.
Be careful not to puncture the heart. You want the heart to keep pumping to
allow the fish to bleed out. Removing blood from the meat greatly improves
its taste.Cut #4 - Locate the soft spot between the tuna's eyes. Cut a V
shaped notch exposing an opening in the end of the spinal column. Feed heavy
mono leader, about 800 pound test, down the entire length of the spine. This
destroys the nervous system preventing acidic enzymes from being released
into the muscle when the fish cools. This is especially important when using
a saltwater brine freezer, less so when using freshwater ice.Cut #5 - Insert
knife point in the anus and cut a slit toward the head about two or three
inches, being careful not to let the knife penetrate too deeply and cut the
intestines. Stick a finger in the slit and pull the intestine down. Sever it
just behind where it attaches to the anal port. Now the neat part. Have some
hold the tail or secure it to a cleat. Stand in front of the fish and reach
into the throat and grab the gill rakers of each side of the head. Pull with
strong, firm pressure. The gills and everything in the stomach cavity will
come out in one neat package. Wash out body cavity with a hose.Pack the body
cavity completely with ice. Place in fish box and completely bury in ice. If
too large for box, use an insulated body bag.By following these steps, Mr.
Caputi says, the meat will be light pink in color, translucent, have a
fresh, fishless aroma and a firm consistency. Suitable for sashimi.

[MPT]

Gosh Guys, it's getting kinda complicated and discouraging. I was just gonna can and BBQ some loins. thanks for the tips on the sashimi stuff anyway. Wack'in em and stackin' em sounds easier for me!

[avid]

Found this great tuna care page from the BC Tuna fisher's association. It has it all!

http://www.bctfa.com/handling.htm