Tuna returns: The revival of bluefin fishing boosts Cornwall’s economy

I am sat writing this earlier than normal on Saturday night – so I will miss any results from Sunday’s fishing events – because I am heading off to Cornwall on a fishing adventure hoping, to connect with a bluefin tuna.

Bluefin tuna are now present off the South West Coast in huge numbers and have generated a great deal of interest among sea anglers, consequentially bringing a valuable boost to the local economy.

These immensely powerful fish were once prolific in the North Sea, feasting upon the herring shoals that migrated to the area each autumn.

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The Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough became the home of the British Tunny Club in 1933 and for the pre-war years became the destination for the rich and famous to battle with these leviathans, fishing from rowing boats using strong tackle specially built for the purpose.

There was a cessation of fishing during the war years and a revival of the sport after the war until the early 1950s when the fishery collapsed due to the overfishing of herring.

While tuna were caught off the Yorkshire coast they were also sighted off the Cornish coast and in 1936 several fish were hooked and lost.

Brigadier JAL Caunter, in his book Shark Angling In Great Britain, records numerous sighting off Looe during the late forties.

My own interest in tunny was fuelled by books telling of this historic fishing. Tunny – The Rise and Fall of Britain’s Biggest Fish, written by Chris Berry, and The Glory Days of the Giant Scarborough Tunny by Mark Ross, are both excellent tomes that recount those historic days of battles with giant fish.

Both of these books were published in 2010 before the current revival in tunny catches.

Fortunately, today’s anglers are wiser and all tuna are carefully revived and released at the side of the boat. Tagging of these majestic fish has provided a wealth of valuable scientific data that can be used to ensure the correct management of valuable stocks.

Today anglers targeting these fish are provided with top quality tackle and fish from well equipped Charter boats. All the skill rests with the skipper locating the fish all the angler does is bring the hooked fish to the side of the boat. A task that brings a sense of trepidation for these immensely powerful fish can exceed 1,000lbs with 400lb plus fish relatively common.

While many cite global warming as the likely reason for the tunny revival this is unlikely to be a major factor. It is more likely to be a change in the migration of food fish and conservation efforts across the globe.

There are concerns at the impact of these huge shoals of tuna on stocks of bass and migrating salmon and sea trout. As an angler I relish this opportunity and hope to savour the experience of a lifetime.

I will hopefully have a story to tell in next week’s Journal.

Closer to home, small stillwater trout fisheries hit peak form as temperatures start to drop. At Bulldog fishery, visiting anglers are advised to step up their leader strength following a recent stocking of large brown trout and tiger trout to compliment the hard fighting rainbow trout.

Ilfracombe Pier is an easy access venue that can produce a wide range of species during the Autumn months with sole and red mullet a regular catch. Recent seasons have also seen good numbers of squid caught by anglers using specialist jigs.

Specimen bull huss, bass, conger and tope will be the target of shore anglers fishing the open coast.

The flounder season is in full swing and this Sunday sees the Triple hook Club host their first open of the season. For details contact Dennis Toleman on 07815 009260, Mario Manley on 07580 502638 or Mark Beer on 07796 230674.