‘Wicked Tuna’ Shooting Its Thirteenth Season
National Geographic’s hit show Wicked Tuna, featuring nine teams of New England fishermen, is shooting its 13th season.
The show follows nine boats in the Gloucester area competing to catch the biggest and most quality tuna. This season, they competed for the title of G.O.A.T., the captain who catches the biggest fish, the priciest fish.
Federal regulations limit the number of tuna that fishermen can catch per trip to replenish the depleted tuna population. This means competitors can only catch one fish per trip. The time and money spent traveling means that catching a big tuna that meets US regulations, is crucial.
The show stars nine boats. Pinwheel, FV-Tuna.com, Hard Merchandise, Hot Tuna, Wicked Pissah, Fat Tuna, Time Flies, Badfish, and newcomers No Limits. The latter team, No Limits, is an all-woman team that recently went viral on TikTok for catching a massive tuna.
A Tough Season 12: Onward to Chatham
This season, teams had a tough choice to make. Some fished close to home, where they’re familiar with the waters but the fish may be smaller. Others headed out to Chatham, a hot spot for tuna, but a potentially huge profit loss if they failed to make a catch.
“Getting a fish down here will prove we made the right decision coming all the way down to Chatham,” says Time Flies captain Jack Patrican. “It’s a big risk going down to Chatham. Not only is it a long way, lot of fuel, lot of money. But if we don’t catch down there, that means that we’re coming all the way back, or we’re sleeping on the boat.”
TJ Ott, The Season 12 G.O.A.T.
At the end of Season 12, Hot Tuna captain TJ Ott took home the gold, earning the title of G.O.A.T. by catching 13 fish for a grand total of $70,148. The team capped off the season with a 382-pounder worth $22 a pound and a total of $8,404, their most valuable fish of the season.
“It’s incredible to know that we’re the champs this season,” says Ott. “We worked hard all year long. We knew that if we persevered and just stuck to our program, we would be the top boat. And now we are.”
"Michelle is fearless in her pursuit of giant bluefin tuna" 💪
Check out @OnTheWaterMedia's feature on Captain Michelle Bancewicz (@FVNOLIMITS) as she discusses building her own rods, fishing superstitions, and breaking down barriers! https://t.co/QyUN8mg9VN
— Wicked Tuna (@WickedTuna) August 16, 2023
Hot Tuna just barely defeated Fat Tuna captain Bob Cook, whose team caught a grand total of 12 fish for $69,930. Fat Tuna ended the season just $218 short of the title. Season 12 was one of the closest seasons yet, with the top four boats all within spitting distance of each other.
This comes after the show’s recent spin-off, Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks, in which the teams competed in the waters of North Carolina. The Gloucester flagship show has officially been renewed for a 13th season and has begun shooting. You can catch all 12 seasons on Disney Plus.
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