11-Year-Old Jakim Azzopardi was ecstatic when he caught a bluefin tuna weighing almost 117 kg off the coast of Cape Otway in Victoria, Australia.
The 11-year-old achieved this remarkable feat while fishing with his father and some friends off the coast of Cape Otway in Apollo Bay on July 4th.
“The bluefin tuna is bigger and heavier than me,” Jakim Azzopardi told the Daily Mail. “It’s a giant fish. I had to struggle for over an hour to get it onto the boat.”
Despite the group being large, Jakim Azzopardi was the only one to catch the massive fish.
The giant tuna caught by Jakim Azzopardi in Apollo Bay on July 4th. (Photo: Phillip Pirotta/Facebook).
This bluefin tuna weighed 116.5 kg and measured 1.89 meters in length. “My arms still hurt from pulling the fish onto the boat. It was so big and strong, getting it aboard was incredibly difficult.”
This catch is also the largest tuna ever brought onto the boat of Matthew Azzopardi, Jakim’s father.
Proud to witness his son’s remarkable achievement, Matthew said: “This is a record-sized fish for our boat. It’s also a record catch for Jakim. I’m proud of my son for managing to get the fish onto the boat all by himself.”
Jakim Azzopardi took over an hour to bring the 116.5 kg tuna aboard. (Photo: Phillip Pirotta/Facebook)
Apollo Bay is considered an ideal location for catching bluefin tuna. In Victoria, these fish can grow up to 2.45 meters long and weigh up to 260 kg. However, catching a tuna over 1.8 meters long and weighing over 100 kg, like Jakim did, is quite rare.
Bluefin tuna are valued at approximately 50 USD per kg, meaning Jakim’s catch could potentially earn him over 5,000 USD.
Jakim Azzopardi and his father beside the giant bluefin tuna. (Photo: ABC).
