C O M M I T T E D T O I N C R E A S I N G Y O U R B U S I N E S S G L O B A L LY
WWW.TACKLETRADEWORLD.COM
DECEMBER 2018
Britain to bring back
big game fishing?
The bluefin tuna could be helped by recrational fishing
The UK tackle trade is
gearing up for a major
boost if a plan to set
up a dedicated bluefi n
tuna fi shery in coastal
waters gets the go-ahead.
Industry representatives
and campaigners have
met with UK Members
of Parliament in the fi rst
stage of a push to bring
back big game fi shing to
the seas off Britain’s west
coast, attracting millions of
pounds to the economy.
Atlantic Bluefi n tuna,
which grow to more than
500kg, possess great speed,
strength and stamina and,
spending millions of pounds,
which will help support
much-needed jobs and
businesses.
Until the 1950s, the UK
had a thriving and highvalue
recreational bluefi n
tuna fi shery, operating
mainly out of Scarborough
in the east, under the
auspices of the British Tunny
Club.
But commercial
overfi shing of both herring
and tuna saw stocks
collapse, forcing big game
anglers to spend a small
fortune pursuing these
fi sh overseas rather than
supporting the tourist
economy back in Britain.
Sightings
Over the last three years,
there have been many
sightings of large bluefi n
tuna in UK waters in late
summer thanks to a stock
recovery programme
conducted by the
International Commission
for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) in
2007. ICCAT is an intergovernmental
fi shery
organisation responsible
for tuna conservation in
the Atlantic Ocean and
adjoining seas. The stocking
programme followed
concerns of dangerously
low levels of tuna recorded
10 years ago but now, in
response to the stock revival,
ICCAT is increasing the
global quota from a low
Continued on page 5
as such, are one of the most
sought-after game fi sh on
the planet, second only
perhaps to blue marlin.
Campaign group Bluefi n
Tuna UK along with
representatives from fi shing
Cornwall that will set a new
benchmark on how other
global fi sheries should be
managed.
They believe a live-release
recreational fi shery could
help many deprived coastal
A live-release recreational fi shery could
help many deprived coastal communities
in the UK to reinvent themselves.
governing body the Angling
Trust want to establish a
fully regulated and science
based tuna fi shery, from the
west of Scotland down to
communities in the UK
to reinvent themselves
as world-class bluefi n
tuna angling destinations,
attracting overseas visitors
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