A fish that was tagged and released off Jervis Bay almost a decade ago has been recaptured, setting a new marine record.
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The albacore, also known as a longfin tuna, was released in 2008 and recaptured earlier this month off the coast of New Zealand.
The fish measured 70 centimetres and weighed about seven kilograms when it was tagged in the Jervis Bay Canyons on November 8, 2008.
After 3434 days of liberty, the albacore was caught by a commercial longliner off the northeastern tip of New Zealand on April 4.
That’s some 2272 kilometres away!
The fish had grown to one metre in length and about 20 kilograms during its nine years and seven months of freedom.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries said it was the longest time an albacore released as part of its game fish tagging program had been at liberty.
The previous record was 2567 days, a NSW Department of Primary Industries spokesperson said.