Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
Thunnus thynnus
Unverified
Handling & regulations: Confirmed live as of 2026-08-09: recreational retention requires a federal HMS Angling or Charterboat/Headboat permit, with mandatory catch reporting within 24 hours of landing (HMS Permit Shop, the HMS Catch Reporting app, or NOAA's reporting phone line). Retention limits and minimum sizes are tiered by size class (school/large school/small medium/large medium/giant) and change by rule — always check the current NOAA HMS bluefin page before deciding whether a fish is legal to keep. Bluefin cannot be retained if a hammerhead shark is aboard or has been offloaded from the vessel. Not on the FDA/EPA's specific named 'Choices to Avoid' list the way shark/swordfish/king mackerel/tilefish are, but multiple independent health-advisory sources note bluefin's mercury levels run high for a large, long-lived apex predator — treated here as eat-with-caution rather than freely commonly-eaten, pending a clean primary FDA citation specific to bluefin.
Where this fish fits
These are discovery categories describing where anglers realistically fish for this species, not a guarantee this project has confirmed regional access at every listed setting — see the linked locations below for this project's own actually-sourced spots.
- Typical season
- Winter into early spring off Virginia — the offshore "Tuna Hole" fishery southeast of Rudee Inlet is a distinctly cold-weather fishery, unlike most other tuna seasons.
- Habitats
- Deep offshore water, notably the winter grounds well southeast of the Virginia coast
- Food use
- Eat with caution
Data not yet verified.
This site hasn't checked for a fish-consumption advisory covering this species yet. That is not the same as confirmed safe — check current official guidance before eating your catch.
Seasons, size limits, and possession limits change and vary by water body. Always check the current regulations at the current regulations page before you fish.
- Bait & lures
- Trolled ballyhoo and skirted lures, Live or chunk bait once a school is located
- Beginner difficulty
- Challenging
Drawn from a named source but not independently confirmed. Double-check before relying on it.
Season, habitat, and bait notes reflect general regional angling knowledge and have not been individually checked against official data. The regulation link was confirmed live as of 2026-08-08 — always check it before you fish, since seasons and limits change. Unlike the general habitat/bait notes, the permit and reporting requirements above were directly confirmed live against the official NOAA HMS bluefin tuna page as of 2026-08-09. Added to this guide specifically because two real, well-documented Virginia state-record bluefin tuna catches (2020 and 2026, both tied to the winter offshore fishery near Hampton Roads) needed a real species page to link to — see /records.