A first of its kind in British waters, The UK Bluefin Tuna Tournament will be held at Falmouth Harbour on 28 – 29 September.
The Catch & Release Bluefin Tuna Fishery has been carefully developed in a partnership involving Recreational stakeholder groups, (The UK Bluefin Tuna Association (UKBFTA) and Angling Trust primarily), DEFRA, the MMO and Natural England.
Once a thriving fishery in the North Sea from the 1930s to 50s, the tuna would attract big game fishers from far flung places and high brow faces with John Wayne on the roster of anglers off Scarborough where the fish were most prolific. The numbers declined, most likely due to the overfishing of their main food source, herring, but now they are back in huge numbers for five months of the year creating a fishery unlike any other in the world.
The UK Bluefin Tuna Association (UKBFTA), Angling Trust and highly experienced fishermen have created a world class sustainable fishery and to help maintain that the Championship has been curated with very strict rules and regulations which place the welfare of the fish front and foremost.
A community of anglers, fishing gear and technical boat businesses have gathered in support of this inaugural event in a very short time and the chosen venue for this event will host them all with its own exemplary facilities on the edge of the historic maritime town. Falmouth Harbour will be the epicentre of the event and will be berthing all competitor, media and support boats alongside Falmouth Haven Marina.
Falmouth Harbour’s Commercial Operations Manager Tristan Rowe said: “This Championship is a unique combination of sport, science and sustainability and it’s exactly the sort of event we are focused on supporting and enabling here in our beautiful Harbour waters.
“We’re delighted to be providing use of our full range of services ashore and afloat to facilitate this event in the heart of Falmouth. We are also blown away by the knowledge and expertise in understanding and monitoring these fish, so very excited to host the team from Exeter University during the event as what they have to say and show will be fascinating for visitors and the local community alike.”
The Catch and Release fishery has brought an exciting and sustainable extension to fishing charters in the South West with Skippers now able to book anglers up until December instead of wrapping up business at the end of summer. A number of these Skippers were instrumental in a partnership with the University of Exeter and CEFAS, which has tracked the movement of over 150 bluefin tuna using state of the art satellite tags.
Alongside sponsors and other partners of the event, the University of Exeter will be present over the weekend to showcase their research on this enigmatic fish, which includes tracking data that tells stories of vast global journeys and surprising events with vessels and other marine fauna.
And with stocks at 6 – 8 times what they were in 2010 the 14 year recovery seems to continue as the first tuna in 70 years was caught this season off of the historic ‘Tunny Club’ port of Scarborough.
The benefits of this fishery reach far beyond the charter vessels and the data reports with just 25 boats in 2022 generating a Total Economic Impact of £2.6 million, according to a DEFRA/CEFAS study.
With the development of the fishery and the fishing tournament, the organisers hope that the planned annual event will continue to grow and one day attract an International Angling community to the shores of Falmouth.
There are 19 Vessels registered for the Championship, with both private and charter vessels taking part. Included in this line up amongst the veterans and professionals are the ‘Young Guns’ team and the Ladies Team, demonstrating diversity and inclusion from the very beginning and all the enthusiasm for being part of a little piece of history in the making.
As Steven Murphy, CEO of the UKBFTA explains: ‘‘We understand the importance of this fishery to the recreational sea anglers and the value this brings to the wider community of Falmouth and the UK and the inherent natural value of having this unique and dynamic fish in our waters. We are honoured to be working with such exceptional partners on this event and look forward to showcasing just what this fishery can look like now and in the future.”
