Brexit boost for fishermen as ‘world class’ bluefin tuna caught in British waters for first time

The post-Brexit benefit comes as the Government opted to diverge from Brussels-derived rules for the first time in decades.

The decision to pivot from EU rules will boost Britain’s fishing industry as 65 tons of the species could become available for capture.

Some 39 tons of this will be available for a trial commercial fishery, with licences issued to 10 fishermen.

Farage, who led the crusade for the UK to leave the EU in 2016, said: “Let’s have a good news story.

“I told you yesterday about the fact that today would be the first time that bluefin tuna could be caught in British waters and sold at market and then on to restaurants etcetera.

“Well, the first one has been caught on a rod-and-line, and there it is.

“It was caught by a friend of mine, Ant, well done, Ant.

“Caught on a rod-and-line approximately 500 pounds and going straight into Plymouth market.

“There were also people out on angling boats fishing catch-and-release, tag-and-release, and they caught fish too.

“So, there we are, we now have a world class bluefin tuna fishery right on our doorstep which I think for the West Country is potentially really, really good news.”

Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer welcomed the legislative change yesterday.

He said: “We're committed to the sustainable management of Atlantic bluefin tuna and this announcement will help to deliver this while providing economic and social benefits to communities around our coast.

“I look forward to seeing the valuable research that this work will deliver, contributing hugely to developing a plan for how we use our quota in the future.”

A source at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs explained how British fishermen were benefitting from the UK’s decision to leave the Brussels bloc.

The insider told MailOnline: “Since leaving the EU, we have seen an increase in fish quotas for the UK that will amount to around £146million by 2026 – the increased quota share of 65 tons in 2023 is a reflection of this. UK fisheries have benefitted significantly.”

Cornish skipper Chris Gill is among the fishermen making progress in catching bluefin tuna.

He told GB News: “The bluefin tuna arriving is massive for the whole of the country, really.

“Back in the early fifties and sixties we had massive celebrities coming over fishing for them.”

However, Gill also appeared to voice concern about the Government’s post-Brexit ambitions.

He told Farage: “We’ve got a very small quota - 39 tonnes - Europe has 44,000 tonnes and so it’s a very small drop in the ocean.”