I'm an ex commercial tuna fisherman. If I made less than a thousand bucks a night, it was a bad day. However, your buyers have everything to do with it. I was black balked in the Hilo market years ago because they were giving us 1.50 a lb . I knew the auction guys on Oahu and started sending them over straight away. Japanese buyers were watching for my fish because the quality was top notch. Yellowfin and big eye getting 6 - 8 bucks a lb and during holidays the price would go north of 20.Well worth the black balling. Lol.
Fished Montauk back in the day (80's)when the Japanese ran up the tuna prices. Plus the fishing was amazing! $20,000 shares. And 20k was A LOT back then. Could buy a ranch house in Montauk back then for $80-100k. Now the fishing sucks.....and that same house is over 1.5M $. Times have changed. Hi from NY!
@@saltwaterfishinguniversity anytime Sir. I got a PHD Fishing Degree. Back in the day you would drop out of school and hit the water. Clam boat, Baymen, eel and crab traps etc.....by the time you were 18 it was off shore. As the fishing worsened the trips were longer 14-28 days for tile fish...until you had to get a job on the land. The DownEast Alexis was real. Lived it.
I concurr 100% Same here on the Northfork Southold New Suffolk I grew up here and Im ready to sell. Aint the same place anymore just the Land of NO. No more place to hunt. Offshore you have travel 120 miles to get a bite WTF
Reminds me of all of the non-reality TV shows. Like gold rush. They quote spot prices on gold. Placer gold like they’re getting is normally only 60% of spot price.
@@dphasadeathwish They hype it up, they create drama, the create conflict... it's scripted,,, it's all for TV.... It's all BS.... I farm, you don't have 100% up time, shit breaks, you fix it and move on,,, it's not that dramatic, it's how it works....
I think they give the market price on the show, in reality the fisherman makes the least amount of money with the most amount of work. The buyers and sellers are the ones making the “easy money”. Thank you for showing the reality of it and being so transparent.. You didn’t even get into maintenance on the boat and how much you have invested in gear. Most captains have to run a charter business to actually earn a combined decent income, almost all the wicked tuna boats run charters.. Question for you guys, does discovery channel pay them for being on the show? They must get something…
When the blue fin first show in the gulf of Maine around June they don't have much fat there are not worth much $3 a pound you don't see the big price until August after they have been feeding for 3 months
I used to commercial fish for many years and know a bit. And I think what has not been said is that the season got cut shorter than usual was that the quota was caught in 26 days but not by the fleet they are in because by their own admission the fish were scattered over a larger area so other boats in other areas were catching much of the quota and it got caught up quicker. Fishing business is much like farming in that its feast or famine. Its great if there’s not much fish around causing the price to climb and what fish is around is where u are and u are loading up before your competitors catch on
Spot on guys, I fish Cape Cod two years ago my 640 lb fish was worth $1.50 lb and my 520lb as worth $4.50 lb swam them and cooled them down...Too many fish were caught.I drive a lobster truck to market and last year there was a tractor trailer full of blue fin some with green rice paper on them stacked two deep ...seemed like all the work boats do to care for them dosen't mean much too some buyers.
Wow that's incredible!!! Down here in South Florida I get $8-10 per pound for sword fish and $12-14 for pumpkins..Golden Tiles and Blueline's get me $10-15 per pound whole..
Just because you’re not getting paid what they’re getting doesn’t mean it’s fake. Quality, buyer and where the fish is going makes a huge difference in what you get for the fish.
Lol imagine defending bogus numbers a reality show dreamt up against two guys that actually do it for a living.😂 Next thing you’re gonna do is tell us the deadliest catch guys actually are chasing illegal fishing boats every day and getting Russian nukes fired at them.
Wow thanks for the insight, I gotta say on Wicked Tuna even at the price at the dock they said they'd get I didn't think they'd make any money.Boat ,Fuel ,ice ,Food Maintenance cost on boat ,Fishing Gear your gonna be broke .I guess it like all reality show bullshit. Thanks for the truth
I hangout and fish at the Nags Head pier, and some buddies there have said,sometimes during the show they will take a 5gal bucket ,tie it on their line,and let it out,and reel it in, acting like a fish is on. Which dock do you fish out of Pirates cove,or Oregon inlet?
I went Blue fin Fishing out of Gloucester in the 90's long before Wicked Tuna was even a thought...It was the last weekend of the Season and we landed a 500lbr and got $12,000 for it
One "SMALL" correction when comparing reality to Wicked Tuna guys. Everything your saying about costs and how difficult of a living is absolutely true, but remember that the Wicked Tuna guys are not really profiting from the tuna sales. It's from the compensation for being on a reality TV show where they're making the real dough. That's why it pays for them to have drama, personalities, etc. and that's how THEY make a good living from this fishery. Much respect to you guys for being out there!~
I fish bigeye and bluefin tuna in Nova Scotia Canada in the summer and early fall. I think we averaged around $8 lb for our bluefin. Bigeye prices were up and down all summer long but I would we averaged roughly $7lb… like you guys said factor in your bait, ice, fuel, gear etc we aren’t getting filthy rich off this fishery that’s for sure
When you're tuna fishing, while you're sitting there for hours on end, you're NOT supposed to start running numbers in your head. Is it impossible to not run the numbers? Yup! The numbers don't add up. I think one time, 15 years ago, we got like $21/lb.
Bluefin Tuna sashimi grade in Corona del Mar last week: $32 per pound. Still not even close to the quality and freshness of catching your own local fish- if you're lucky to live near the Socal harbors. With the 2024 allowable harvest per recreational (Not commercial) fisherman per day is 2 fish (all tuna species), add tackle, bait, fuel, boat, insurance not to mention the divorce lawyer, alimony and vaginanony. Best to stick with the $32 per pound for retail. Lot's of middle men taking the profits from the commercial fisherman.
Pretty much all the Bluefin goes to Japan as it is damn near impossible to find Bluefin Tuna on the east coast. Most Sushi places serve Bigeye or Yellowfin as their tuna the exception is certain places and many get it from Japan even though they catch it right off the coast. I think, no I know we made more back in the early 80's. I was a young teenager but filled in on a charter boat.
Yes, things have changed dramatically w/ the Japanese market. It was that strong at one time for sure, but now almost 100% stays domestic here in the US, mainly going to major cities.
Eight fish in fourteen days fisbing is pretty damn good!!! Since this show came out i have had my customers (charterboat) ask me how much their Tunas are worth and i have to explain that Blackfin Tunas are totally different and i get eye rolls as they think im lying?? Also had people ask why their Tunas are so small and when i tell them a 25 pound Blackfin is a dandy, more eye rolls as surely im lying because on TV Wicked Tuna guys get 500,000 per fish 😂😂 the show has not been a great deal for some of us 😂😂😂 the expense is also sonething nobody gets as its 500 plus gone the minute we untie the boat
WT has gotten harder for me to watch over the years. While I enjoy watching the experiences of catching these fish, the moronic drama the producers inject into every episode is stupid. No one in their right mind believes one fish makes the difference in feeding the crews family, etc. etc.
Once someone knows the actual prices of these fish, it certainly gives the show a very different feel. That being said, I (Marcus here) love the fishing aspect to it, and most of the Wicked Tuna cast members we've met have been very friendly and kind to work with, especially down South.
Tuna is seasonal. Japanese believe blue fin in certain areas of the world are better than other times of the year. New England is fall. Late September to when it gets too cold. I'm from Cape Cod and mated through high School
The numbers don't make sense to me at all with this I've been watching you guys recently and I can appreciate it. So my simple question is. Burning .75 etc $675 daily. How does this feed a family and fund 40k in boat repairs. Gross minus expenses who can live off 5k
Exactly. It wasn’t profitable for sure. We need to get better, more efficient, etc. But even at that, unless price per pound increases, it will be hard for anyone to make it profitable. That being said, we’re trying to build a complete brand and business. Hopefully, revenue will eventually come from a multiplicity of streams, with charters of course being one of them.
No one lives on 5k for the year. Bluefin tuna is not their only job, nobody fishing fishes just one species and lives the whole year off those 14 days on the water. You fish bluefin tuna in bluefin season, you fish yellowfin after that, when summer comes you sell charter tours for tourists to catch wahoo or marlin or mackerel in those seasons. A full day charter for tourists regularly runs more than 2k in North Carolina, but there aren't any tourists in February. You do different work at different times of year. I won't lie to you and say its easy or even steady dependable work, but it's not like these guys only go out for a few days in January or February and expect it to last all year.
@@thecaitiff2K for a full days charter 🤔thats expensive compaired to the european countries .Its ok if the boat can handle six fishermen and the cost is spit .
@@saltire546 Keep in mind fuel and bait average about 1k in costs. Added other expenses that come with these sportfishers and the profit margins aren’t nearly as high as you’d think.
Ridealongs available throughout January. Once the commercial season is over, we book regular charters most of February and March for bluefin. $2400 for regular charter.
I know that the short season is going to anger some people but if left unchecked every butt head with a boat would be poaching them and effecting the stock of fish. Fisheries officials have been tasked with keeping fish available to fishermen and it’s a thankless job with no reward, add in illegal boats from overseas and the problem is challenging
We totally agree with having a quota. The fish were incredibly plentiful this year. Numbers seem to be higher than they’ve been in a long, long time. Very promising for the fishery.
I would like to see a breakdown of the expenses. Seems a little high. Anyone in business counts everything as an expense to try to get back as close to zero as possible.
Interesting 675 a day must include all expenses. Boat, dock, fuel, insurance, equipment permits,etc everything. Those expenses with the exception of fuel continue regardless if one is fishing or not. The cost of the boat being the biggest of all. Even at 20 a pound it is risky business. You don’t pay for the boat tuna fishing. Charter fishing is probably your bread and butter.
You could have made more commercial bass fishing last year. I mean I hear you in the sense that every dollar matters when you're spending money to fish. But I do disagree when you say lack of fish I was out was out in middlebank in May and in November I know that's a different time. From when you fished but even the googans we're hooking up there were so many fish out there be hooked up and or landed at least one fish every trip I was out maybe six or seven times last season
Kind of like getting payed a little to fish for the crew in the off season, with the ware and tare on equipment it really doesn’t make sense to even mess with it, one brake down your in the hole.
They need to do more restricted fishing days to keep the weekend googans that dont care how much they make and if the fish is quality or trash. All these weekend warriors that are out there now fill the quota before the fish have the quality. When anyone can go and purchase a commercial tuna permit that will just keep the market price down. But I will say the stock has been doing great and there are more fish around than there were 20 years ago, but that is because the they shut down the the fishery after the quota is met. My feeling is since wicked tuna started there are more people out there targeting bluefin which has increased the supply and thus reduced the price.
@@saltwaterfishinguniversity I figured I was just curious. I fish out of Green Harbor Marshfield, Ma and prices I get from buyers is usually somewhere around half of what they get on the show. I thought maybe it was buyer relationships they have but still doesn’t seem possible.
That is such little way for a lot of work. At the end of the day why even bother? Plus what about boat maintenance and depreciation too. Sounds like a bad business. Maybe do charters instead
As mentioned in the video, we do love it. Also, some years it can make money. The problem, though, is that it takes a couple weeks to determine what your fish are getting priced at. By that point, you’re committed.
Why dont the fishermen get together and start a fish market, then get 15$ a pound straight to restaurants? or as an individual I buy tuna steaks for 16$ a pound a few times a month, and they are hard to find.
That’s why I stopped watching WT in the first season. BS money totals. If they want to make it somewhat real go by the pounds caught. Right now it’s as legit as professional wrestling with the bs drama stories and all. Some enjoy it. However, Not my cup of tea. Thanks for telling the truth. Good luck making some money in the future.
If the profit isn’t there and the tuna stocks worldwide are down why not stop fishing and let the stock return. Right now you guys are just subsidizing your hobby.
That is not enough money to justify the cost of going fishing unless you are doing it strictly as a hobby you would be an idiot to even go out one day. As for the show I suppose the subsidies paid for by the show producers is what makes the subsided cost per fish worth the investment and the actual amount of money paid out to the crew and cost of operating the boat gas and bait and tackle. Its like I love to build dog houses but I need to sell one for 300 dollars to break even but I can only get 65 dollars for each dog house that I build therefore I no longer build and sell doghouse because I loose 235 dollars on every dog house that I built. It don’t take long to learn to not suck rotten eggs cause they don’t taste very good… Let the Japanese catch their own tuna in their own international waters and let’s enjoy the fruits of our pristine waters within our own markets at prices the regular working Joe can afford to bless his family with from time to time… And the rest of you get off my titt…
So lets get to the meat of this. Sure you got 5 grand for 12 days of fishing. So the price they show on TV may be the price that a person would pay per pound at the counter , I'm guessing? Now here is the non disclosed question that will not get an answer. What did the TV channel pay you to board your boat and film you? I very highly doubt you would let a crew of people on board your vessel and take that risk without the show paying you something. How much did they give you? 10 grand for those 12 days? 20? 30 or 40? If you did this and got zero payment from them , which I highly doubt you would be that stupid to do that. Then yeah , that would be a very stupid move. So what is the amount the show up and gave the boat?
I think you’re confusing us with show participants. We are not on the show, never have been. We just have our own RUclips channel. That being said, the few boats that are on the show do get paid decently, especially the northern boats that have been on the show for so many seasons.
@@saltwaterfishinguniversity Well what is decently? That is a factor , I know fisherman depend a lot on fuel cost to be lower to make a living. However , if the show is paying them say 40 grand for 12 episodes. Thats a huge amount. For a short time frame of say filming.
My family owns a retail business in OBX , on the second season of WIcked Tuna OBX , there was a woman on a boat as a first mate , named Jessy , Jessica Anderson . She has been coming to us for years and I talked to her one time about the show when it first came out , and she spoke of how it was all bullshit. She has her own boat called Carolina Girl. Damn good Captain. I always wondered how lucrative it would be to be on the show.
@@saltwaterfishinguniversity I figured it was higher , not a good bit higher but damn if so , makes a good case to try and be part of it if you could. lol I know ya not , and fisherman do have a hard life , i helped a friend of mine with blue crabbing a few months , and um yeah , screw that. Not an easy living. SO i have respect for you , for that. However , get on that show lol , make some of that hollywood cheese.
If you watched to the end, you’ll see we said we weren’t whining, but rather grateful to do what we do. Looks like you were too excited to throw shade on another person.
Yet, you felt the need to comment. You've never watched this channel, otherwise, you'd know we don't claim to be anything we're not. We're imperfect fishermen, learning our way.
Stop killing the breeding size bluefin. As an avid fisherman with friends who fish commercial, the continued harvest of these large fish should be outlawed.
I'm an ex commercial tuna fisherman. If I made less than a thousand bucks a night, it was a bad day. However, your buyers have everything to do with it. I was black balked in the Hilo market years ago because they were giving us 1.50 a lb . I knew the auction guys on Oahu and started sending them over straight away. Japanese buyers were watching for my fish because the quality was top notch. Yellowfin and big eye getting 6 - 8 bucks a lb and during holidays the price would go north of 20.Well worth the black balling. Lol.
Wow. Very cool perspective and story. Thanks!
Fished Montauk back in the day (80's)when the Japanese ran up the tuna prices. Plus the fishing was amazing! $20,000 shares. And 20k was A LOT back then. Could buy a ranch house in Montauk back then for $80-100k. Now the fishing sucks.....and that same house is over 1.5M $.
Times have changed. Hi from NY!
Wow. That’s crazy Capt! Appreciate you sharing!
@@saltwaterfishinguniversity anytime Sir.
I got a PHD Fishing Degree. Back in the day you would drop out of school and hit the water. Clam boat, Baymen, eel and crab traps etc.....by the time you were 18 it was off shore. As the fishing worsened the trips were longer 14-28 days for tile fish...until you had to get a job on the land. The DownEast Alexis was real. Lived it.
I concurr 100% Same here on the Northfork Southold New Suffolk I grew up here and Im ready to sell. Aint the same place anymore just the Land of NO. No more place to hunt. Offshore you have travel 120 miles to get a bite WTF
@@peconicbayprime9182 sell and move. Plenty of open space for hunting in the US.
You guys KILLED IT, literally
Reminds me of all of the non-reality TV shows. Like gold rush. They quote spot prices on gold. Placer gold like they’re getting is normally only 60% of spot price.
WoW!!! I figured those prices were not accurate but I didn’t think they were that far off!!
Don't forget the overhead allocation guys (insurance, slip fees, licenses and inspections, etc.)
Good thing you love to fish my friends!
Yep. Was not a “for-profit” venture this year for sure bud.
That's why the boat get's a share. To cover those cost.
Its a seasonalized TV show, like Gold Rush, Below Deck, Deadliest Catch etc.... They're all BS...
wicked tuna is propoganda like the rest of anything on tv
What’s bs about deadliest catch?
Sensationalized?
@@dphasadeathwish They hype it up, they create drama, the create conflict... it's scripted,,, it's all for TV.... It's all BS.... I farm, you don't have 100% up time, shit breaks, you fix it and move on,,, it's not that dramatic, it's how it works....
I think they give the market price on the show, in reality the fisherman makes the least amount of money with the most amount of work. The buyers and sellers are the ones making the “easy money”. Thank you for showing the reality of it and being so transparent.. You didn’t even get into maintenance on the boat and how much you have invested in gear. Most captains have to run a charter business to actually earn a combined decent income, almost all the wicked tuna boats run charters.. Question for you guys, does discovery channel pay them for being on the show? They must get something…
When the blue fin first show in the gulf of Maine around June they don't have much fat there are not worth much $3 a pound you don't see the big price until August after they have been feeding for 3 months
I used to commercial fish for many years and know a bit. And I think what has not been said is that the season got cut shorter than usual was that the quota was caught in 26 days but not by the fleet they are in because by their own admission the fish were scattered over a larger area so other boats in other areas were catching much of the quota and it got caught up quicker. Fishing business is much like farming in that its feast or famine. Its great if there’s not much fish around causing the price to climb and what fish is around is where u are and u are loading up before your competitors catch on
Spot on guys, I fish Cape Cod two years ago my 640 lb fish was worth $1.50 lb and my 520lb as worth $4.50 lb swam them and cooled them down...Too many fish were caught.I drive a lobster truck to market and last year there was a tractor trailer full of blue fin some with green rice paper on them stacked two deep ...seemed like all the work boats do to care for them dosen't mean much too some buyers.
Yeah. We often wonder about that. Appreciate you sharing your experience. 👍
Covid price they were not exporting them even lobster priced stayed at $6 a pound for a year.
Hell I’d do a ride along. Sounds like a fun vacation. Tell me when to book my flight from Ca.
Wow that's incredible!!! Down here in South Florida I get $8-10 per pound for sword fish and $12-14 for pumpkins..Golden Tiles and Blueline's get me $10-15 per pound whole..
Just because you’re not getting paid what they’re getting doesn’t mean it’s fake. Quality, buyer and where the fish is going makes a huge difference in what you get for the fish.
We love the show. But the prices you see on it are absolutely fake. Even still, we love it.
From talking to 7 captains on the show, and fishing commercial as well, the numbers were never real after the 3rd season of the show
Lol imagine defending bogus numbers a reality show dreamt up against two guys that actually do it for a living.😂
Next thing you’re gonna do is tell us the deadliest catch guys actually are chasing illegal fishing boats every day and getting Russian nukes fired at them.
The biggest things those guys get out of the show and make money on is getting paid for the show, advertising and exposure for their charters.
Wow thanks for the insight, I gotta say on Wicked Tuna even at the price at the dock they said they'd get I didn't think they'd make any money.Boat ,Fuel ,ice ,Food Maintenance cost on boat ,Fishing Gear your gonna be broke .I guess it like all reality show bullshit. Thanks for the truth
Wait till these guys break the truth about the Flintsones on next week's episode. Your mind is gonna blow
I hangout and fish at the Nags Head pier, and some buddies there have said,sometimes during the show they will take a 5gal bucket ,tie it on their line,and let it out,and reel it in, acting like a fish is on. Which dock do you fish out of Pirates cove,or Oregon inlet?
I went Blue fin Fishing out of Gloucester in the 90's long before Wicked Tuna was even a thought...It was the last weekend of the Season and we landed a 500lbr and got $12,000 for it
Cleveland, Ohio here
Thanks for telling the truth.
Appreciate you watching bud. 👍
One "SMALL" correction when comparing reality to Wicked Tuna guys. Everything your saying about costs and how difficult of a living is absolutely true, but remember that the Wicked Tuna guys are not really profiting from the tuna sales. It's from the compensation for being on a reality TV show where they're making the real dough. That's why it pays for them to have drama, personalities, etc. and that's how THEY make a good living from this fishery. Much respect to you guys for being out there!~
Great points 👍
Don't forget that most of them do charters too.
Just like deadliest catch. All they do is create drama that never or rarely happens to true fishermen
I fish bigeye and bluefin tuna in Nova Scotia Canada in the summer and early fall. I think we averaged around $8 lb for our bluefin. Bigeye prices were up and down all summer long but I would we averaged roughly $7lb… like you guys said factor in your bait, ice, fuel, gear etc we aren’t getting filthy rich off this fishery that’s for sure
Great perspective here, thanks 🙏
You guys have grown Saltwater fishing University a ton in a yr!!!!!!!!!
Getting there bud.
When you're tuna fishing, while you're sitting there for hours on end, you're NOT supposed to start running numbers in your head. Is it impossible to not run the numbers? Yup! The numbers don't add up. I think one time, 15 years ago, we got like $21/lb.
Yup. 💯
Bluefin Tuna sashimi grade in Corona del Mar last week: $32 per pound. Still not even close to the quality and freshness of catching your own local fish- if you're lucky to live near the Socal harbors. With the 2024 allowable harvest per recreational (Not commercial) fisherman per day is 2 fish (all tuna species), add tackle, bait, fuel, boat, insurance not to mention the divorce lawyer, alimony and vaginanony. Best to stick with the $32 per pound for retail. Lot's of middle men taking the profits from the commercial fisherman.
Funny and informative. Well done!👍
Shocking (even at the prices shown on Wicked Tuna Outer Banks) how could anyone think that tuna fishermen are making a lot of money?
Whats the going rate to take a crew of 5 out during the summer $2250.00 ?
Pretty much all the Bluefin goes to Japan as it is damn near impossible to find Bluefin Tuna on the east coast. Most Sushi places serve Bigeye or Yellowfin as their tuna the exception is certain places and many get it from Japan even though they catch it right off the coast. I think, no I know we made more back in the early 80's. I was a young teenager but filled in on a charter boat.
Yes, things have changed dramatically w/ the Japanese market. It was that strong at one time for sure, but now almost 100% stays domestic here in the US, mainly going to major cities.
Eight fish in fourteen days fisbing is pretty damn good!!! Since this show came out i have had my customers (charterboat) ask me how much their Tunas are worth and i have to explain that Blackfin Tunas are totally different and i get eye rolls as they think im lying?? Also had people ask why their Tunas are so small and when i tell them a 25 pound Blackfin is a dandy, more eye rolls as surely im lying because on TV Wicked Tuna guys get 500,000 per fish 😂😂 the show has not been a great deal for some of us 😂😂😂 the expense is also sonething nobody gets as its 500 plus gone the minute we untie the boat
Would love to do a ride along.
What brand are those white waiters?
Fishing , clamming , crabbing , oystering is always dependent on the weather and expenses take a big bite outta your profits !
WT has gotten harder for me to watch over the years. While I enjoy watching the experiences of catching these fish, the moronic drama the producers inject into every episode is stupid. No one in their right mind believes one fish makes the difference in feeding the crews family, etc. etc.
Once someone knows the actual prices of these fish, it certainly gives the show a very different feel. That being said, I (Marcus here) love the fishing aspect to it, and most of the Wicked Tuna cast members we've met have been very friendly and kind to work with, especially down South.
Tuna is seasonal. Japanese believe blue fin in certain areas of the world are better than other times of the year. New England is fall. Late September to when it gets too cold. I'm from Cape Cod and mated through high School
the only guys making money are the guys on the show
The numbers don't make sense to me at all with this
I've been watching you guys recently and I can appreciate it. So my simple question is. Burning .75 etc $675 daily. How does this feed a family and fund 40k in boat repairs. Gross minus expenses who can live off 5k
Exactly. It wasn’t profitable for sure. We need to get better, more efficient, etc. But even at that, unless price per pound increases, it will be hard for anyone to make it profitable. That being said, we’re trying to build a complete brand and business. Hopefully, revenue will eventually come from a multiplicity of streams, with charters of course being one of them.
No one lives on 5k for the year. Bluefin tuna is not their only job, nobody fishing fishes just one species and lives the whole year off those 14 days on the water. You fish bluefin tuna in bluefin season, you fish yellowfin after that, when summer comes you sell charter tours for tourists to catch wahoo or marlin or mackerel in those seasons. A full day charter for tourists regularly runs more than 2k in North Carolina, but there aren't any tourists in February. You do different work at different times of year. I won't lie to you and say its easy or even steady dependable work, but it's not like these guys only go out for a few days in January or February and expect it to last all year.
@@thecaitiff2K for a full days charter 🤔thats expensive compaired to the european countries .Its ok if the boat can handle six fishermen and the cost is spit .
@@thecaitiff Certainly true. We are constantly looking for other income streams to make this a viable business.
@@saltire546 Keep in mind fuel and bait average about 1k in costs. Added other expenses that come with these sportfishers and the profit margins aren’t nearly as high as you’d think.
Where is the information on charters for next January? Im from Australia cheers.
Ridealongs available throughout January. Once the commercial season is over, we book regular charters most of February and March for bluefin. $2400 for regular charter.
@@saltwaterfishinguniversity $2400US?
Also what does a day consists of time wise
I know that the short season is going to anger some people but if left unchecked every butt head with a boat would be poaching them and effecting the stock of fish. Fisheries officials have been tasked with keeping fish available to fishermen and it’s a thankless job with no reward, add in illegal boats from overseas and the problem is challenging
We totally agree with having a quota. The fish were incredibly plentiful this year. Numbers seem to be higher than they’ve been in a long, long time. Very promising for the fishery.
Background Muzak needs to be louder I almost heard what they were saying.
I would like to see a breakdown of the expenses. Seems a little high. Anyone in business counts everything as an expense to try to get back as close to zero as possible.
The reason why most wicked Tuna capts have other businesses that support their tuna obsession. Ones a commercial airline pilot.
He's retired..my buddy used to Pilot with him!
@@SurfSarge not to my knowledge.
The tv show is the money
What about Pacific bluefin?
Thats why they call it fishing and not catching
Perhaps being a guide will be more profitable?
Interesting
675 a day must include all expenses.
Boat, dock, fuel, insurance, equipment permits,etc everything.
Those expenses with the exception of fuel continue regardless if one is fishing or not.
The cost of the boat being the biggest of all.
Even at 20 a pound it is risky business.
You don’t pay for the boat tuna fishing.
Charter fishing is probably your bread and butter.
Sounds like the trucking.
You could have made more commercial bass fishing last year. I mean I hear you in the sense that every dollar matters when you're spending money to fish. But I do disagree when you say lack of fish I was out was out in middlebank in May and in November I know that's a different time. From when you fished but even the googans we're hooking up there were so many fish out there be hooked up and or landed at least one fish every trip I was out maybe six or seven times last season
Kind of like getting payed a little to fish for the crew in the off season, with the ware and tare on equipment it really doesn’t make sense to even mess with it, one brake down your in the hole.
Many boats experienced exactly this in 2024.
Add the expenses of the boat the slip and. Tackle your not making any money and something breaks on the boat
Fishing in general supply and demand evedently your fish buyer s dont have the best buyer s to pay more money
They need to do more restricted fishing days to keep the weekend googans that dont care how much they make and if the fish is quality or trash. All these weekend warriors that are out there now fill the quota before the fish have the quality. When anyone can go and purchase a commercial tuna permit that will just keep the market price down. But I will say the stock has been doing great and there are more fish around than there were 20 years ago, but that is because the they shut down the the fishery after the quota is met. My feeling is since wicked tuna started there are more people out there targeting bluefin which has increased the supply and thus reduced the price.
Wicked Tuna has certainly been a major factor in the growth of the fishery. Very much so.
Was the location taken into consideration where Wicked Tuna is based in MA?
The market prices are pretty consistent across states. This is because domestic fish are going to the same places- NYC, Washington DC, Boston, etc
@@saltwaterfishinguniversity I figured I was just curious. I fish out of Green Harbor Marshfield, Ma and prices I get from buyers is usually somewhere around half of what they get on the show. I thought maybe it was buyer relationships they have but still doesn’t seem possible.
Holy fukkkkkkkkk where is the chase and how do we cut to it
Prices are 💯 factual.
Duggestions might be
Mite guel eggivient albeit dliwer bist
Staying out overnight if necessary
What you didn’t add was line, bait, reels,rods, etc.
Bro that doesn’t even cover the line!
Yeah but what did you make off the TV show??
that is how they make their money. I doubt any of them would tell you that lol.
1k for 26 days yeah ok i don't believe it for a second. You'd make more money at McDonald's. Why would anyone do that?
That is such little way for a lot of work. At the end of the day why even bother? Plus what about boat maintenance and depreciation too. Sounds like a bad business. Maybe do charters instead
What do you think the benefit of faking the prices are? Just a wow factor?
Yep. That’s exactly what it is.
People pay thousands of dollars to go deep sea fishing so to get paid $10 an hour doesn’t seem to bad.
Ain’t no way that could be all 1000.00 a month per person ain’t making a living.
the prices they quote on wicked tuna arent even remotely close....its all for tv.......definitely not what the boat gets
so whats the point? nobody can live on 1200 bucks
Doesn't seem makes any sense to kill the fish for that $
WOW!!! Not as Perceived.
But they're on TV, they have to be truthful or they couldn't go on the air with lies like that, could they?? 😊😊😊
That a 500,000 boat
Not even close.
So why do it?
The thrill of the hunt of course.
@@saltwaterfishinguniversity perfect answer
Futile enterprise.
You all got the money for the boat, you ain't doin it for the money
Then why do y'all do it?
As mentioned in the video, we do love it. Also, some years it can make money. The problem, though, is that it takes a couple weeks to determine what your fish are getting priced at. By that point, you’re committed.
Why dont the fishermen get together and start a fish market, then get 15$ a pound straight to restaurants? or as an individual I buy tuna steaks for 16$ a pound a few times a month, and they are hard to find.
You make a solid point.
So here is my question, why do you do it? McDonald’s is paying 18+ an hour.
Because it’s absolutely thrilling catching a monster tuna.
Your math is way off! Your fuel bill should be for 14 days like you claim would be $9,450. Then you have your bait cost etc.
Then why do it
Because we love it.
That’s why I stopped watching WT in the first season. BS money totals. If they want to make it somewhat real go by the pounds caught. Right now it’s as legit as professional wrestling with the bs drama stories and all. Some enjoy it. However, Not my cup of tea. Thanks for telling the truth. Good luck making some money in the future.
You are not going to get wealthy fishing 🎣. Wicked tuna 🍣 price per pound is NOT accurate at all. $4-7 dollars a pound is more like it ! 👍🏻😎
If the profit isn’t there and the tuna stocks worldwide are down why not stop fishing and let the stock return. Right now you guys are just subsidizing your hobby.
There’s a lot of truth to this. The issue, though, isn’t we can’t predict that going into a 4 week season.
That is not enough money to justify the cost of going fishing unless you are doing it strictly as a hobby you would be an idiot to even go out one day. As for the show I suppose the subsidies paid for by the show producers is what makes the subsided cost per fish worth the investment and the actual amount of money paid out to the crew and cost of operating the boat gas and bait and tackle. Its like I love to build dog houses but I need to sell one for 300 dollars to break even but I can only get 65 dollars for each dog house that I build therefore I no longer build and sell doghouse because I loose 235 dollars on every dog house that I built. It don’t take long to learn to not suck rotten eggs cause they don’t taste very good…
Let the Japanese catch their own tuna in their own international waters and let’s enjoy the fruits of our pristine waters within our own markets at prices the regular working Joe can afford to bless his family with from time to time… And the rest of you get off my titt…
Oh and its not all bullshit think about it you guys have not been doing this for what how many years and you s
Then why do you do it?I feel like you don't make any money
Why even fish for them
I refuse to comment on this
So lets get to the meat of this. Sure you got 5 grand for 12 days of fishing. So the price they show on TV may be the price that a person would pay per pound at the counter , I'm guessing? Now here is the non disclosed question that will not get an answer. What did the TV channel pay you to board your boat and film you? I very highly doubt you would let a crew of people on board your vessel and take that risk without the show paying you something. How much did they give you? 10 grand for those 12 days? 20? 30 or 40? If you did this and got zero payment from them , which I highly doubt you would be that stupid to do that. Then yeah , that would be a very stupid move. So what is the amount the show up and gave the boat?
I think you’re confusing us with show participants. We are not on the show, never have been. We just have our own RUclips channel. That being said, the few boats that are on the show do get paid decently, especially the northern boats that have been on the show for so many seasons.
@@saltwaterfishinguniversity Well what is decently? That is a factor , I know fisherman depend a lot on fuel cost to be lower to make a living. However , if the show is paying them say 40 grand for 12 episodes. Thats a huge amount. For a short time frame of say filming.
@@Obxhatman Agreed. For the boats on the show, the rumored payment is a good bit higher than 40k.
My family owns a retail business in OBX , on the second season of WIcked Tuna OBX , there was a woman on a boat as a first mate , named Jessy , Jessica Anderson . She has been coming to us for years and I talked to her one time about the show when it first came out , and she spoke of how it was all bullshit. She has her own boat called Carolina Girl. Damn good Captain. I always wondered how lucrative it would be to be on the show.
@@saltwaterfishinguniversity I figured it was higher , not a good bit higher but damn if so , makes a good case to try and be part of it if you could. lol I know ya not , and fisherman do have a hard life , i helped a friend of mine with blue crabbing a few months , and um yeah , screw that. Not an easy living. SO i have respect for you , for that. However , get on that show lol , make some of that hollywood cheese.
You can’t release a bluefin. They die
maybe you guys are just getting ripped off by your buyer. I would call the guys on WT for some buyers #'ers.
And a burger flipper, working in a safe, air conditioned place wants $15/hr
My job sucks sometimes as well, quit whining and do something else.
If you watched to the end, you’ll see we said we weren’t whining, but rather grateful to do what we do. Looks like you were too excited to throw shade on another person.
No offense. But I wouldn't roll over in bed for that money. Let us know how much the boat cost on top of it.
No offense taken. Keep in mind, you don’t really even know the average price you’re getting until two weeks into the season.
Googans be acting like they are salty.
Yet, you felt the need to comment. You've never watched this channel, otherwise, you'd know we don't claim to be anything we're not. We're imperfect fishermen, learning our way.
And you thought reality was real ya real scripted
We need you guys to investigated the USA Federal government spending budgets. Keep telling us the truth ....
Indeed. There no organization more irresponsible in the world when it comes to spending.
@@saltwaterfishinguniversity they hate us,and spend OUR money,they would rather burn it than spend it on Americans.
I don’t believe these guys at all! The math ain’t mathing! People don’t work or run a business to not make a profit. I call BS!
Don't forget they get paid for being on the show,and run charters during the summer.
Stop killing the breeding size bluefin. As an avid fisherman with friends who fish commercial, the continued harvest of these large fish should be outlawed.
Go into other work leave the tuna along. Fisherman always cry poor. Do something else Already
They might be bs. So is the entire democratic party including the voters.
You guy might do better as Walmart greeters! You can pond fish on your days off.