A giant 415kg bluefin tuna caught off the East Cape is being flown from Tauranga to Japan today where it will be auctioned for thousands of dollars.

The North Pacific Bluefin tuna was caught on Tuesday evening by Whitianga fisher Wayne MacFarlane and his three man crew on the 20metre longline fishing boat Karina B.

A giant bluefin tuna caught by the Karina B crew. Photo: Facebook.

It was brought back to Whitianga, with a live weight of 415kg and a gutted weight of 361kg, where it was winched from the boat before being transported to Tauranga where it will be packed and shipped to Japan.

The boat is owned by Whitianga locals, father and son team Dugal and Wayne Macfarlane.

Wayne's father Dugal was not on the boat at the time the fish was caught but says the crew were in the East Cape fishing for tuna when they snagged the giant fish.

'We are normally there at this time of the year.”

He says the tuna fishing season is short and the East Cape typically offers pretty good fishing.

The crew were using squid bait when they hooked the fish.

The fish is being transferred to Japan from Tauranga where it will go up for auction at the Tokyo markets.

The fish is estimated to fetch in the $40,000 to $50,000 range.