Riviera Port Lincoln Tuna Shootout 2008

The centre of tuna fishing in South Australia will come alive over the Easter weekend with the annual Riviera Port Lincoln Tuna Shootout. 

Supported by Australia’s largest luxury boat builder, Riviera, the shootout on Saturday March 22 and Sunday, March 23, promises even more action than the incredible record achieved in 2007. 

According to tournament organiser Peter Teakle, “Tuna have arrived earlier than usual and this augers well for the tournament. 

“In two days of competition last year, our tournament fleet captured and released 352 southern bluefin tuna at an average 14 kilograms each. That’s an astonishing five tonnes of tuna in two days. One boat alone achieved 129 fish captured and released.” 

Riviera’s Director Brand & Communications, Stephen Milne, said that the Shootout fleet would be bolstered by more than a dozen Rivieras from Adelaide. 

“We have a fleet of 25 boats coming to Port Lincoln for our annual Experience event in March,” said Stephen. “Many of them will compete in the tournament, helping to make this a particularly exciting event.” 

Fishing is centred around the Neptune Islands and the “Cabbage Patch” reefs about 40 nautical miles south-south-east of Port Lincoln. 

The tournament begins with a sailpast off Memory Cove at 7.30am on Saturday, March 22. Fishing goes until 6pm on that day, starts again at 6.30am on Sunday, closing at 3pm.