In 1979, a couple of locals from the Tunarama Committee decided the festival needed something unique that identified with Port Lincoln’s already famous Tuna Fishing industry, in a way that could be enjoyed as a spectacle by anyone, entered by anyone fit enough to consider doing so, and that was a bit of fun. There were many ideas put forth at the time, but none seemed to gel with the Festival’s goal of celebrating the industry that gave it its name.
Until it was noticed by a couple of fellows that the primary method of unloading the overflowing boats that came into port, was a very manual, arduous task. Men would stand on the decks of the boats, and throw tuna up onto the waiting trucks. Well, those fish that were small enough to throw, that was.