Atlantic bluefin tuna spotted off north-east england for first time in 60 years

Atlantic bluefin tuna have been spotted off the coast of north-east England for the first time in more than 60 years, delighting conservationists.

Scientists this week tagged five of the giant fish off the Northumberland coast to track their movements.”Bluefin tuna is a native British species; they are supposed to be in our waters and used to be incredibly important to this region,” said Dr. Lucy Hawkes of the University of Exeter, who helped tag the animals.

“Bluefin tuna are also top predators who can only be in these waters if the ecosystems underneath them are healthy. Essentially their presence is a good way of signaling that your waters are doing well, but we have no idea where they’ve come from — which is why tagging is so important.”

England’s north-east coast was once world famous for its giant tuna. By the 1960s, however, the fish had vanished from the North Sea due to overfishing and the collapse of herring shoals.

Their return is now being linked to more careful management of fisheries, though some scientists say climate change shifting prey and water temperatures could also be a factor.