They were first reported by herring fishermen in 1911. They are always larger older fish at least 5 years old. A massive Bluefin Tuna , Thunnus thynnus , was captured on a Mackerel long-line off Plymouth. The Bluefin Tunny, is usually the only large species of tunny found in British seas, although it is very scarce nowadays. It usually inhabits seas of 24 o C, and is a fish of tropical seas.
All European records are of vagrant fish.
Bluefin Tunny were found at Boxgrove Archaeological Site, West Sussex, dated half a million years ago. Spanish Mackerel are rare this far north, and there is no entry in the Scottish records for this fish. An Atlantic Bonito , Sarda sarda , was caught by angler of the Marloes peninsula, S W Wales in July 1996. It was only the eighth confirmed record from Wales this century. Report by Kate Lock.