Yellowfin Tuna

Photo: Camila Gallardo · CC BY-NC

Yellowfin tuna are regularly sighted in the blue water above and around El Ancla, drawn by the concentrated baitfish that aggregate around the wreck structure. Easter Island's position in open ocean far from commercial fishing grounds means these are large, healthy individuals rather than the depleted coastal stocks found elsewhere in the Pacific. Tuna passing over the wreck are a reminder of the island's extraordinary oceanographic position — surrounded by thousands of kilometres of open water that function as an effective marine reserve.