Fisherman dragged off boat by tuna, remains missing at sea

Mark Knittle, 63, was pulled overboard by a huge tuna in Hawaii (Image credit: Hawaii Police Department/Facebook)

A fisherman went missing on January 15 after getting pulled overboard by a massive tuna in Hawaii. Mark Knittle, 63, was fishing with a friend on Sunday when he hooked an ahi tuna, the Hawaii Police Department said in a Facebook post.

“The fish is huge,” Knittle reportedly said moments before he was dragged overboard.

His friend tried to grab the fishing line as Knittle went overboard but was unsuccessful. “Knittle was seen on the surface and disappeared within seconds. The friend attempted to jump in after Knittle but could not see him anywhere,” police said.

According to Insider, police and US Coast Guard looked for Knittle for several days before calling off the search on January 19. All in all, over 766 square nautical miles were covered before the search was called off.

"While it's never an easy decision, the active search for the missing fisherman off the coast of Hawaii was suspended pending any new information," Ryan Fisher, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard, told Insider on January 21.

The ahi tuna or yellowfin tuna can grow up to six feet long and weigh as much as 200 kg.