Wicked Tuna

It’s opening day of the bluefin tuna season, and the first fish of the season can bring big money. With a huge payday at stake, every captain is fighting to land a tuna. Captains TJ Ott and Brad Krasowski are out to redeem themselves after a disappointing season last year; with their reputations on the line, the pressure is on to put meat on deck. And Captain Dave Marciano welcomes a new crew member — his oldest daughter, Angelica.

For six years, defending champion Captain Dave Carraro has brought in more tuna than any other skipper in the fleet. But without his first fish of the season, Captain Dave and his crew are falling behind in the standings, and the other captains in the fleet are ready to take advantage. Captain Tyler McLaughlin tries his luck fishing off of an underwater shipwreck.

The Hard Merchandise is the only boat that has yet to land a fish, and Captain Dave Marciano is feeling the pressure. Desperate to provide for his family, the burden weighs heavily on Marciano to land his first tuna and bring home a paycheck. Meanwhile, Captain TJ Ott welcomes his father and 10-year-old nephew aboard, hoping the additional family members will give the Hot Tuna the boost it needs to keep landing fish.

When inexperienced fishermen, better known as “googans,” crowd the water, the fleet has to fight through additional obstacles in order to earn a paycheck. As the googans create chaos with their carelessness, some commercial boats will manage to land fish against the odds while others will go home empty-handed. And one captain will score the biggest payday so far this season, but not without a fight.

The captains team up to double their chances of catching fish, but forming an alliance with a competitor is risky. Captain Tyler McLaughlin of the Pinwheel is forced to fish solo and joins forces with Captain Brad Krasowski of the Fish Hawk to get some much-needed assistance on deck. And Captain Paul Hebert of the Wicked Pissah teams up with Captain TJ Ott of the Hot Tuna, but agreeing to help Ott could backfire on him.

The alliances within the fleet begin to prosper — or fall apart. Captains Tyler McLaughlin and Brad Krasowski have a successful partnership that’s keeping their boats on top. Things aren’t as smooth for Captains TJ Ott and Paul Hebert, as Ott’s tendency to overshare information has Hebert giving Ott the silent treatment. And the alliance between Captains Dave Marciano and Dave Carraro is in jeopardy when the Hard Merchandise suffers a breakdown.

After an unusually slow start to the season, defending champion Captain Dave Carraro and his vessel, the FV-Tuna.com, are back on top. But for many in the fleet, especially Captain TJ Ott of the Hot Tuna, the FV-Tuna.com’s dominance is an unwelcome sight — and the fleet will do everything in its power to cool the Dot-com’s hot streak.

Before and after a storm, bluefin tuna go on a feeding frenzy, so for boat captains willing to take the risk of going out on the water, the rewards can be great. The Hot Tuna’s captain, TJ Ott, was cautious last year, sitting out the bad weather at the dock while other boats caught fish and moved up in earnings. This week the competition is close, with only a few hundred dollars separating the top contenders, and no one wants to miss a chance at taking the top spot.

It’s the middle of the season, and the weeks of fishing are starting to take their toll on the fleet. It takes teamwork to land a tuna, and it is crucial that the captains set the right tone and keep a positive attitude among their crew. Captain Paul Hebert, feeling frustrated after a disappointing week, takes his anger out on his mate. And Captain Tyler McLaughlin starts to question his mate’s skills, leading to conflict.

Fishing for bluefin tuna is complicated, and teamwork is essential to success. On the FV-Tuna.com, Captain Dave Carraro and his crew are a well-oiled machine that works together to land fish. But over on the Wicked Pissah, Captain Paul Hebert’s negative attitude and patronizing tone have soured his relationship with his mate, Rick. And on the Pinwheel, Captain Tyler McLaughlin is forced to fish solo after his mate doesn’t show up for work.

After a few solid weeks of fishing, Captain Dave Carraro of the FV-Tuna.com is feeling confident about his chances of taking the top spot again. But Captain Brad Krasowski of the Fish Hawk, who finished at the bottom of the leaderboard last year, is on a hot streak and is ready to make good on his promise to go from “worst to first.” Meanwhile, Captain Tyler McLaughlin of the Pinwheel tries to repair his relationship with his mate.

Coming into week 12, the FV-Tuna.com and Fish Hawk have been on a tear, pulling away from the rest of the fleet. The Pinwheel, Hot Tuna, Wicked Pissah and Hard Merchandise are trying to keep their heads above water. The Wicked Pissah and Hard Merchandise need to step up their game in order to compete with the rest of the fleet. Captain Dave Marciano could finally reach his breaking point — which objects will go flying this week?

With three weeks left in the fishing season, the competition intensifies. It has been five seasons since Captain Tyler McLaughlin has claimed the top spot, and he is determined to fish as hard as possible in order to finish in first place. But Captain Brad Krasowski has emerged as a real contender and has the other captains nervous. Meanwhile, Captain Dave Marciano tries to turn his bad luck around and salvage his season.

The FV-Tuna.com has been the top-earning boat in the fleet for the past two years. Dave Carraro is confident his team can finish out the season strong, but the rest of the fleet is in hot pursuit. Tyler McLaughlin knows that he needs to turn every single hookup into a catch in order to take the lead away from Carraro. And Brad Krasowski is just one big catch away from completing his “worst to first” comeback over last year’s performance.

With only one week left in bluefin season, the fleet competes for final paychecks and the championship. Longtime champion FV-Tuna.com and rival boat Pinwheel are forced off the water by illness and injury, and having the two top contenders out of the race is a game-changer for the fleet, pushing everyone to go for broke to score an upset and become Gloucester’s top-earning boat.

With less than four days left in the North Atlantic bluefin tuna season, the fleet races to claim the title of Gloucester’s top-earning bluefin boat. But with two top contenders, last season’s champion Captain Dave Carraro of the FV-Tuna.com and previous top-earner Captain Tyler McLaughlin of the Pinwheel, potentially sidelined, the field is wide open and it will all come down to the last fish.