Hagen Stehr was at home in Adelaide, Australia, on March 12 when his company¡¯s chief scientist called with news that their bet of about $48 million on the breeding of southern bluefin tuna in captivity ¡ª a feat never before accomplished ¡ª might finally pay off.

¡°Big fella, you better come back,¡± scientist Morten Deichmann said to the 185-cm Stehr.

Stehr, chairman of Australia-based Clean Seas Tuna Ltd., pushed his Toyota Land Cruiser to its top speed of 180 kph as he rushed more than 500 km to his company¡¯s fish hatchery outside Arno Bay in southern Australia to see the fertilized eggs for himself.