2014 junior tournament participants stagger across Bailey Island’s rocky shore. Jessica Tranter photo

On July 20, the 85th annual Bailey Island Fishing Tournament began its weeklong run. After a four-year hiatus, event organizers claim the program is back to stay. 

Before opening day began, docks were filled with dozens of professional anglers on their smartphones recording social-media clips. Twenty-eight pre-registered tuna boats bobbing on the water showed signs of resilience, comparable to pre-pandemic levels, said Casco Bay Tuna Club President Capt. Bill Tranter, who inherited the position from Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association Director of Community Programs Monique Coombs. 

The tournament is a longstanding tradition on the Eastern Seaboard, dating back to 1938. This year, participants gathered to cast their lines for the top payout of $5,000 in the tuna division, $500 in the adult sports division and $75 in the junior competition. 

“We canceled the tournament partly because of the pandemic,” Coombs said. “The previous president had just stepped down, and other challenges popped up — the wharf, where we usually host the competition, had structural concerns. It took a few years to get going, but this relaunch brings a new model to sustain the event moving forward — plus a new app.” 

In the past, basic technology has run the show — pen, paper and handwritten checks. Now, a new app, Bailey Island Fishing Tournament, has entered the scene. Created by a husband-and-wife app design duo, Reel Time Apps Inc., Coombs said it was worth the cost to keep up with other national tournaments. 

Facebook remains a reliable platform for information, but the app now consolidates it all: registration, photos of the daily catch and live updates. 

Low payout, high morale

According to Tranter, the club has spent the past nine months preparing for this week.

“My love for the community made me want to get involved,” Tranter said. “I grew up in Pennsylvania, but while at school in Boston, I took my first trip to Bailey Island and knew it was where I wanted to end up.” 

After becoming a full-time resident eight years ago, Tranter joined the tournament before its recent pause. He said that unlike other events in the area, the tuna club is not a charity group — the focus is not on raising money; instead, the goal is to bring the community together (tourists and residents alike). 

“At the end [July 26], we’ll host a big party at Cook’s Lobster and tell fish tales,” Tranter said. “I’ve never heard of anyone brag about the money, just about the fact they won.” 

Apart from tuna anglers, those in the sports class or junior category can still sign up in person. The entrance fee for the adult sports class is $75 or $200 for a boat with four individuals to catch groundfish, bluefish and mackerel. For kids, registration costs $5 to catch mackerel, bluefish and pollock.

One of the first tunas caught in the 2024 Bailey Island Fishing Tournament dangles near Cook’s Lobster and Ale House. Casco Bay Tuna Club photo

Over the years, species have come and gone, including halibut, swordfish, salmon, striper and shark — the latter were removed due to recent regulations.

“We’re going to stay a low-sign-up, low-pay-out tournament,” Tranter said. “It’s not about the money. It’s about connection; we’ve made updates  to ensure the longevity of the event but still want to preserve that old-school Maine, local outing feel.”

Reeling in local kids

In the ocean’s expanse, the world’s largest tuna, the giant Atlantic bluefin, swims. Equipped with a GPS system that biologists have yet to decode, the fish can cross and recross the ocean multiple times throughout its life. 

Despite its cumbersome façade, the species has faced a steep decline. But Coombs claims a rebound is in sight.

“Tuna populations in the Gulf of Maine are doing well,” she said. “That’s because fishermen take care of our natural resources and abide by, for better or for worse, a plethora of regulations. The abundance we’re seeing is a testament to their continued good practice.” 

The Bailey Island Fishing Tournament, the Bluefin Benefit Battle and the Casco Bay Bluefin Banaza contribute to local science. 

Walter Golet, affiliated with the University of Maine at Orono, manages the Pelagic Fisheries Lab at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. His team analyzes the histology of bluefin tunas caught in local tournaments using samples of gonad tissue to determine their age and migratory route.

“The junior tournament is a chance for us to get kids hooked for life,” Coombs said. “Watching them weigh in for the first time is priceless. But it’s more than that. Introducing kids to the water and its precious ecosystem introduces them to a potential career in marine biology or environmental studies. It also reinforces the importance of our working waterfront.” 

Before kickoff, 20 kids had signed up for the Bailey Island Fishing Tournament; event organizers said they hope to reach the 40-mark threshold as the week continues. 

“We need to get the next generation engaged so events like these continue,” Coombs said. “They strengthen the community, working waterfront and scientific research.”