‘Wicked Tuna’ on National Geographic ‘Back in the Hunt’ recap

On last night's episode of “Wicked Tuna” the special breed of fishermen from Gloucester, Mass. is "Back in the Hunt" as the first day of tuna season is here. Fishing is a hard life, and harder with bluefin stocks depleted.

For generations they've used rod and reel to catch the elusive bluefin tuna. They depend on these fish for their livelihood, and the competition is brutal. When one bluefin can bring in as much as $20,000—they'll do whatever it takes to hook these babies and the great nicknames they have for them.

The boats on this season are; FV Tuna.com, Hard Merchandise, Pin Wheel, Bounty Hunter, The Odysea and The Christina. Each boat has a crew of captains, mates and some smart alecks.

The new kids on the fishing block; the Pin Wheel, captained by Tyler McLaughlin, pulls up alongside the FV Tuna.com to taunt captain and owner Dave Carraro, the big dog knows that this new boat is in town to fish in their backyard and to take away their title.

As Tyler's first mate, Alex Whitney has a giant fish on the line, he does not have much line, so they have to chase him with the boat. After a long while, the fish won and got away.

The Hard Merchandise got one on the line, but it was only a small one, and Dave Marciano had to let it go. As it got to the surface, he removed the hook, and it swam away. Hopefully, it will grow up, so they can get it next year.

On FV Tuna.com, when the beeper sounds, they go running to the reels. This time the fish is wrapped on the line. They have to be very careful not to lose the fish, but they grab this one who is almost 87 inches long and worth about $6,000. Now they have gotten the first fish of the season and are ready to catch more. Tyler is disappointed that he was in the vicinity, but did not catch the big one.

On Hard Merchandise, they hear the reel go and the rod bends. The catch clock reads 34 minutes, and Dave knows that it is a tail wrap. They were lucky to snag the fish by the tail without harpooning it. The fish brought in over $7,000.

The next morning, the Pin Wheel spots a scallop boat. Tunas love the chum left from the scallop boats, and Tyler hopes to cash in. Tyler's got one on the line, and his crew is trying to hook it. They finally harpoon him. Tyler gets on the radio to taunt Dave, and the other crews hear his taunt. This action is inappropriate, and makes for bad blood among the fleet. The fish is 108 inches long and truly a "Wicked Tuna."