Counties Manukau fishermen beat shark off with broom while reeling in near-300kg tuna

A fisherman reeling in a near-300kg tuna battled both the monster fish and a hungry shark that bit off the tuna’s tail and attacked his boat.

The crew were then forced to fend off the raging predator with a broom as they struggled to haul the fish on board.

Fisherman Jay Curley (centre) and friends Clayton Summerville (left) and Michael Baird with their catch.

The trip began when fisherman Jay Curley and his mates Michael Baird and Clayton Summerville made plans to catch yellowfin tuna on the weekend.

They set off from Hoods Landing in Otaua, went down the Waikato River out to sea and started fishing.

After snagging a couple of yellowfins, Curley’s line was struck by a monster fish.

“I thought it was a big tuna, but it was sort of mythical out there, so I didn’t really say anything,” Curley said.

“After 45 minutes, I got a bit of a look at the fish and then we knew we were on something pretty substantial. It was still probably about 30-40m away so I couldn’t really get an ID on it.

“Then it was another three hours before we saw it again.”

After three and a half hours, Curley could feel the line pull from under the boat.

“I told the boys it was getting sharked,” he said.

Then the shark came for the boat itself.

“The mako actually bit onto the outboard,” Curley said.

“There was a fair bit of screaming and panic on board ... there are a few good teeth marks and scratches left.”

Fisherman Jay Curley with the near-300kg bluefin he caught on Saturday off the coast of the Waikato.

The trio tried hauling the tuna on board and away from the shark but were unsuccessful at keeping their prize from the hungry predator.

“We had a good go,” Curley said.

“I had my hand down the fish’s gob while my friend pushed the mako off with a broom.”

Ultimately, the group retreated about a kilometre away to evade the shark and successfully hauled the fish aboard.

Curley understood the 279.2kg bluefin tuna could have set a record for the heaviest catch from Counties Manukau’s waters, but the shark bite would disqualify it.

He said the tail and blood lost to the shark would have weighed about another 30kg - and while he was disappointed it ruined any chance of breaking records, he remained stoic.

“It is what it is, I suppose. That’s fishing,” Curley said.

He had been giving the meat away to ensure it could be enjoyed fresh - “and I’d rather let everyone else have a bit of a try”.

“There would have been at least 200 slabs, so you could say it could feed 200 people.”

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.

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