FALMOUTH HOSTS FIRST UK BLUEFIN TUNA CHAMPIONSHIP

Falmouth hosts first UK Bluefin Tuna Championship. The inaugural UK Bluefin Tuna Championship was held in Falmouth this weekend (September 28 & 29). The event was the first ever catch-and-release bluefin tuna tournament in the UK.

It builds on the success of the new English Catch and Release Recreational Fishery (CRRF), set up in Falmouth as a world-class sustainable fishery as bluefin tuna return to UK waters.

Working in partnership with skippers and anglers who now form the CRRF, the University of Exeter and Cefas attached high-tech tags to tuna to track their movements and aid conservation. The event, at Falmouth Harbour, included a University of Exeter stand showcasing this research.

“The championship was the culmination of six years of lobbying, co-design, fishing and data gathering,” said Dave West, from the Sports Fishing Club of the British Isles. “The UK once had a thriving tuna fishery – but numbers declined, most likely due to overfishing of herring, which is their main food source. But now tuna are back in huge numbers for five months of the year, creating a fishery unlike any other in the world.”

The CRRF has been developed in a partnership involving the UK Bluefin Tuna Association (UKBFTA), the Angling Trust, DEFRA, the MMO and Natural England.

The UKBFTA, Angling Trust and highly experienced fishermen have helped to develop strict rules and regulations to ensure welfare of the fish.

Dr Lucy Hawkes, from the University of Exeter, said:

“Our research on these amazing fish over the last six years has revealed their fascinating behaviours and migrations – travelling far and wide from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean, and returning to UK waters every year.

“We are delighted that this event will allow us to share many stories from following the movements of more than 150 fish, providing data that not just increase our appreciation for these amazing animals, but to help inform policy and management.”

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