Police officer Tim Gallison has seen some unusual things in his 7-year career, but this is a first. He was patrolling State Street Dock in Bristol, Rhode Island around midnight when he heard splashing near the boat ramp. He initially thought it was someone in the water, and when he shined his light, he was in for a surprise.
It was a bluefin tuna splashing in the shallow water. He estimated the bluefin at over 4-feet long and around 100-pounds. “It kept swimming in circles at the boat ramp, almost attempting to beach itself,” explained Officer Gallison to Outdoors360. Ironically, he’s also an experienced fisherman.
Officer Gallison started fishing at a young age, growing up in Bristol (on the water), and also vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard. “My brother and I used to catch squid in Edgartown,” said patrolman Gallison, and now “I do some striper fishing in the bay. But my real passion is offshore fishing. I enjoy shark fishing and going to the canyons for tuna.”
This was his first night back on patrol as he had been on leave with a torn tendon in his trigger finger that occurred from a suspects teeth while while making and arrest. He had to have surgery on July 2nd, which resulted in a pin sticking out his finger for a handful of months. He’s back to full speed now, and ready to start fishing. The next time he sees a tuna again it will almost definitely be in it’s normal habitat – the deep ocean water. In the meantime, patrolman Gallison has a true fish story backed up by incontrovertible video evidence for the jury.
