The 38st catch was reeled in with a rod and line after a 45-minute battle 10 miles off the coast of Britain and will be dished up in a Devon restaurant
Fishermen have snared a tuna big enough to feed 1,000 people.
The monster catch – which weighed nearly 38st – was reeled in with a rod and line 10 miles off the UK coast.
The crew spent 45 minutes battling with the giant bluefin before they managed to haul it into modest fishing smack the Pechos Grandes, which is Spanish for ‘big breasts’.
The fish weighed a staggering 529lbs and is the biggest caught off Britain for years. It was sold for more than £2,000 at Brixham Fish Market in Devon and will be dished up at a local restaurant.
Boat owner Mike Lynes, 57, said his craft was ‘designed to handle these big bluefins’. He said: “We have the right equipment to bring it in but it was a big fish even for us. It took about 45 minutes.’’
It was caught 10 miles off the Berry Head nature reserve in Tor Bay, Devon.
The predators disappeared from Brit waters in the ‘60s after over-fishing pushed the species to the brink of extinction. But numbers have rebounded in recent years and it was taken off the endangered species list in 2021.
The waters off the south-west coast are teeming with the big game fish that feed on the abundance of mackerel and garfish.
Mike’s boat is part of a licensed trial involving 15 commercial vessels that are allowed to fish bluefin tuna in UK waters to sell.
They have a limited annual quota of three tonnes and are governed by strict guidelines to minimise environmental damage.
Mike said the average weight of bluefin was around 12st. He said: “The gear we use drastically reduces the time between hooking and landing the fish.
“That minimises stress on the tuna and helps preserve the quality of the catch which is especially important for a high-value species like this. This fish has stayed in the UK and gone to a local restaurant. But we have had one go to a celebrity chef before and other fish go to Europe.”
His business partner Colin Chase, 60, said: “It’s incredible to see these fish return to our waters. This trial shows we can do this the right way — with sustainability and care at the heart of it.”
Wholesaler Ian Perkes, who bought the fish, said it was the biggest caught in the area. He said: “We know they’re here.
“We have footage of them on a feeding frenzy so we know that there’s masses of them here. But it’s certainly the biggest one that’s been landed on Brixham Market so far. There’s a bunch of quite good fishermen that we have in our area now.”
Bluefin tuna can reach 10ft in length – though the average size is about 5ft – and travel at up to 43mph in pursuit of prey. Their only predators are great white sharks and killer whales.
Bluefin tuna is a highly-sought after delicacy in Japan where it can sell for up to £200-a-lb. Ian said because of the size of the fish they cause ‘commotions in the sea which you can spot by the water frothing up’.
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