Up in the unforgiving North Atlantic, in a small sacred stretch of ocean, treasure lurks in the deep. In just 1,000 square nautical miles, a group of hearty fishermen battle it out for the biggest and most valuable fish in the sea – the monster Atlantic Bluefin Tuna. These massive fish make the tuna caught off the coast of Massachusetts look like bait. CATCHING MONSTERS, a new series premiered Friday, June 5, at 10 PM ET/PT on the Discovery Channel, took viewers inside the intense world of fishing for one of the world’s most prized ocean predators. Don’t miss the next one!
Every Fall, a brave group of fishermen abandon their jobs as lobstermen for six weeks to pursue monsters of the deep that can bring in a fortune. In these diehard North Atlantic fishing communities, fishing is in their blood and passed down from generation to generation.
“My dad is a real good fisherman. I’ve learned everything I know from him,” said First Mate Nathan Brennan regarding his father, Ricky, a sixth generation Tuna fisherman. “He’s been out here for a long time and caught a lot of tuna. He can think like a tuna, and sometimes I think he is a tuna!”
Battling this elusive predator takes patience, strategy and brute strength. Up in the North Atlantic’s hallowed waters, Bluefin Tuna can measure up to 15 feet long, weigh 1,500 pounds and swim over 40 miles an hour. But it’s not just their size that’s massive. These beasts – measuring the size of a small car – are considered the most valuable fish in the sea, with many fetching over $10,000 dollars each. Backbreaking fights with these 1000-pounders can last hours and often the battles end in soul crushing devastation.
To keep the Bluefin population healthy for generations to come, each fisherman is allowed just one tag, one chance to hit the jackpot. Every fisherman is out to land the biggest Bluefin of the season – both to provide for their families and to claim bragging rights as the best tuna fisherman in the North Atlantic.
CATCHING MONSTERS is produced for Discovery Channel by Twofour America. For Twofour America, Executive Producers are Melanie Leach, Seth Goolnik, Bernie Schaeffer and Dan Bree. For Discovery Channel, Christo Doyle is executive producer and Meagan Davis is producer. To learn more, go to www.discovery.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/discovery and on Twitter @Discovery.
About Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 224 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world’s #1 pay-TV programmer reaching nearly 3 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220 countries and territories. For 30 years Discovery has been dedicated to satisfying curiosity and entertaining viewers with high-quality content through its global television brands, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Discovery controls Eurosport, the leading pan-regional sports entertainment destination across Europe and Asia-Pacific. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, through Discovery Education, and a digital leader with a diversified online portfolio, including Discovery Digital Networks.