Last week, a potential world record yellowfin tuna was caught 200 miles off the coast of Cabo San Lucas and could be worth a million dollars. The tuna weighs in at over 400 lbs. These large gamefish are typically a frustrating catch for anglers. Yellowfin are considered the strongest and fastest of all the big game fish and create a real challenge for anglers. They are known as albacore in French and commonly referred to as such. They are a highly migratory fish are found in warm waters throughout the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Yellowfin are abundant in the Osa Peninsula.

Tuna are both a favorite gamefish and subsistence fish for people all over the world. Yellowfin are important to the environment because they are a large predatory fish that helps to maintain the balance of marine life.  Yellowfin school with other fish that are the same size more so than sticking strictly with just other tuna. It is common to find schools of tuna swimming with dolphin.  Fisheries took advantage of the fact that dolphins swam with tuna and began to exploit this tendency.  When dolphins were spotted on the surface, fishermen would encircle them with large nets often times trapping the dolphin in the nets which would drown.  Hundreds of thousands of dolphins were killed as a result of this fishing practice.  However, it was through the successful work many concerned people that this practice in the United States has been stopped for the most part, which is why you now see dolphin safe labels on the cans of tuna in the supermarket.

While these populations are healthy in the Southern Pacific Ocean, according to the World Wildlife Fund, they are being overfished in the Indian Ocean.  There is now a huge effort being made to ensure that Yellowfin are harvested responsibly to protect these healthy populations from overfishing.  They are a favorite for fish for sushi. Tataki restaurant in San Francisco serves not only incredible sushi but is also a sustainable sushi restaurant started by former Greenpeacer, Casson Tennor and world-famous sushi chef, Raymond Ho. Together they have created the world’s first sustainable sushi restaurant marking a significant shift in restaurant business practices.

What makes Costa Rica sportfishing so attractive to anglers is the incredible diversity of fish including large game fish.  There is nowhere in the world that can quite compete on the same level when it comes to sportfishing.  Tuna peaks here from August through October so now is the time to book your trip to Costa Rica. Crocodile Bay can accommodate everyone from the professional angler to the family with little fishing experience.  And if you have never done any sportfishing, it is an experience not to be missed along with sushi.  Please keep in mind that while these fish will not fit in your aquarium at home and you may not catch a fish worth a million dollars, but you will definitely have the adventure of a lifetime.