Meet Michelle Bancewicz, the new captain of the ‘Wicked Tuna’ fleet
Catching giant bluefin tuna on National Geographic’s “Wicked Tuna” is everyday business. But just how colossal these creatures are never truly hits home until you see one in scale.
That was certainly the case in a video that went viral in 2021 of Michelle Bancewicz hoisting up and boating a nine-foot, 800-pound bluefin on her boat No Limits off the coast of her native New Hampshire. The leviathan looked the size of a subcompact car as it twirled on a tailrope next to the diminutive 5-foot-1-inch boat captain. And the best part: She did it by herself. At night.
“I think that was my second solo fish ...,” Bancewicz recalls, “so I was pretty pumped when I did get it. I was like, ‘Wow, did I just get that?’ And then (the challenge) was just getting it in the boat. Because once you get it to the boat, basically the work’s just starting. ... You’ve got to gut it, stuff it with ice and then you’ve got the whole cleanup process going back. I mean, it’s just starting, really.”
Bancewicz becomes the new captain on “Wicked Tuna,” when the National Geographic series returns for its 12th season Sunday, Feb. 26. The native of Seabrook, N.H., and her first mate Lea Pinaud will fish against returning regulars Dave Marciano of the Hard Merchandise, T.J. Ott of the Hot Tuna, Tyler Mclaughlin of the Pinwheel and Dave Carraro of the Tuna.com, among others, hoping to log the largest overall catch of the season.
They’ll also contend with some challenging conditions. Fuel prices are up, the economy isn’t great and state regulations now allow them to fish only four days a week and take one fish per day. So with less opportunity to make a paycheck, the pressure will be especially great to find the giants.
For Bancewicz, that’s nothing new since she’s worked under similar restrictions in New Hampshire. She’s just happy to now be part of the “Wicked Tuna” fleet.
“I loved being in Gloucester and I loved my slip where the boat was,” she says. “It’s right downtown Gloucester, it didn’t get any better than that. And the whole experience was great.”