If you ever needed proof that Provincetown Harbor is one of the most unique harbors in the world with an incredibly different dynamic than any other harbor, this was clearly the week to prove it.

Not only did we have whales and a white shark in our harbor, but we also had a massive invasion of giant bluefin tuna, which occurred as they came in to feed on the tremendous amounts of pogies (also known as bunker) that have taken residence in our harbor. It was like a naturally occurring SeaWorld out there for a few days with whales spouting, giant tuna smashing on the surface through thick balls of pogies and a white shark cruising the depths of the waters just off Beach Point.

Many tuna in the 400-pound to 800-pound size were caught less than a mile from the breakwater by local fishermen. Sadly the market for those fish has crashed so badly that a golden opportunity for the local commercial guys to make some fast, easy money was lost.

If the international tuna market stays this flooded with ridiculously low prices offered for the fish, the fall run that provides so much necessary income for local commercial fishermen simply will not transpire. Most guys (myself included) won’t even go out after them at the current pricing model.

Giant tuna in our harbor, although somewhat unusual, is historically not out of the question. I remember seeing Captain Augustus Genovese and his White Dove and White Dove Too, a pair of purse seiners out of Cape May, New Jersey, over by Days’ Cottages in Beach Point mopping up tuna in the 1980s. I also remember taking the Truro Recreation kids out on the CeeJay a few years ago when one of the kids hooked and landed an 80-pound bluefin tuna in 20 feet of water off of Days’ Cottages.

Which brings us to striped bass and the latest head scratcher coming from the National Marine Fisheries Service. To this point, roughly 215,000 pounds of striped bass have been landed and sold, which is 25 percent of the available 869,813-pound quota for the year. The most recent daily landings have been about 18,000 pounds per day, which is much below what is typical for this period of time. This suggests, among other things, that the stock is depressed.

So what does National Marine Fisheries Service do? The agency doubles the days allowed to commercial fish for striped bass beginning Aug. 19. The theory is after Labor Day, the weather becomes more inclement, keeping the fleet in more often. And the participation rate among fishermen declines post Labor Day as the trust fund babies with Daddy’s Center Console go back to school or back home and stop playing commercial fishermen for the summer.

So what if the weather doesn’t become inclement, and what if the less serious bass fishermen continue to fish?

What if stocks really are low while all this is happening? We have taken a bad situation and exponentially made it worse by increasing fishing pressure. I just do not understand the logic here. But I rarely understand National Marine Fisheries Service logic. I know there is a sharp division between recreational and commercial bass fishermen with a lot of finger pointing. But I do both, and therefore, I have no dog in this fight. I simply want what is truly best for the species so we can all make a living long-term. Rant over.

In other fishing news, bluefishing remains good from Wood End to Race Point this week with mostly small fish in the two-to-four-pound class with an occasional jumbo mixed in. There are also some bluefish and small striped bass along the Beach Point stretch of Truro. A keeper striped bass every now and then gets taken, but for the most part it’s all bluefish.