A Hawaiian fisherman went fishing with a friend on Sunday, January 15, and was pulled overboard after hooking a massive yellowfin tuna.
Mark Knittle, 63, was fishing about four miles off the Hawaiian coast when he hooked a large fish that dragged him into the ocean. Knittle’s last words to his friend was “the fish is huge.”
The friend tried to find him in the water, but Knittle had disappeared.
Police and Coast Guard rescue personnel performed a search but the man could not be found. Authorities said the massive fish was probably a yellowfin tuna, and if the fish was dragging the man, he could be anywhere.
The Assistant Chief of Operations for the Hawaii County Fire Department, Darwin Okinaka, said that incidents where fishermen go overboard are usually along the coastline. This incident was different because of how far out the fishermen were.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website states that yellowfin tuna are usually found in tropical and subtropical oceans and can grow up to six feet long and up to 400 pounds.
