Tight rules for recreational bluefin tuna fishing

Jersey's government has given the go-ahead for "carefully controlled, sustainable" recreational fishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna off the island.

It said the giant fish had made "a remarkable recovery" after decades of conservation work and had been removed from the endangered list by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and had returned to Channel Island waters.

The government agreed new regulations and will issue up to 25 fishing permits priced £500 each for Atlantic blue fin tuna this year.

Environment Minister Deputy Steve Luce said the tight regulation supports "long‑term protection of this species and the sustainable enjoyment of our marine environment".

He said the government has taken "precautionary" measures, protecting the fish under the Wildlife Law whilst scientific evidence on stock health continued to grow.

The migratory fish can weigh 250kg (551lbs) and reach top speeds of 43mph (69kmh).

The IUCN said it used to be a regular sight in UK waters but numbers declined due to overfishing and there were no sightings for 60 years.

Jersey is now included in the UK's membership of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and the government said it was "ready to participate in this tightly regulated and internationally monitored fishery".

The new rules will allow authorised vessels to participate in recreational catch‑and‑release fishing.

Permit holders will have to do mandatory training "to ensure high‑welfare handling and best-practice release methods".

There will also be monitoring to protect the stock numbers off Jersey.

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