Fisher Stephen Gaudet of Tignish Run was recognized today for landing this year's largest giant bluefin tuna from a Prince Edward Island port.
Premier Pat Binns presented Mr. Gaudet with the third annual Premier's Cup at the Legislative Assembly this afternoon. The award was established by Premier Binns in recognition of the rebound of the Island bluefin tuna industry and the importance of the sport fishery to Prince Edward Island.
The tuna landed by Stephen Gaudet weighed 1296 pounds, with a dressed weight of 1037 pounds. The catch took four hours to complete on the morning of August 20th, and it was one of the six tuna caught this year by Gaudet. Gaudet's brother, Brian, was aboard the morning of the award winning catch.
"The Premier's Cup is an important means of illustrating our government's commitment to this important fishery. My sincere congratulations go out to Stephen, his wife Dianne and his sons Brett and Jeff."
A total of 268 giant bluefin tuna were caught off Island shores this year. That marks nearly a 200% increase in landings in the past two years.