Incredible moment 7ft bluefin tuna leaps out of the sea as ‘king of fish’ stages comeback in British waters
Bluefin tuna have made a dramatic return to British waters, with a 7ft specimen recently captured on camera leaping from the sea whilst hunting off the south-west coast of England. The species had disappeared from British waters by the 1960s due to overfishing, but international conservation efforts have reversed this decline, making the southern coast a world-class fishery and demonstrating a significant environmental recovery success.
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas launched a 15-year recovery plan in 2007 alongside strict fishing regulations, which successfully restored Eastern Atlantic populations. By 2021, bluefin tuna were removed from the IUCN Red List, and sightings along the Devon and Cornwall coast have increased substantially. The warm-blooded fish are the largest tuna species, with specimens reaching up to 10 feet long and weighing over 800 pounds. Commercial fishing is now permitted under strict government licences, with 30 vessels authorised in 2024 to each catch a total of four tonnes annually.
- Bluefin tuna have successfully returned to British waters after near-extinction.
- International conservation efforts removed species from endangered list by 2021.
- Commercial fishing now permitted under strictly regulated annual licences.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The return of bluefin tuna to British waters represents a triumph of international conservation policy and scientific management. Strict fishing regulations and coordinated international cooperation have proven that even severely depleted stocks can recover, vindicating ecosystem-based approaches to resource management. The carefully controlled licensing system—permitting only 30 vessels to harvest 120 tonnes annually—demonstrates that sustainable commercial use and species recovery are compatible objectives; indeed, the economic value of a healthy fishery provides ongoing incentive for continued protection and monitoring. This balanced approach honours both the species' ecological value and the legitimate livelihoods of fishing communities dependent on maritime resources.
The case against
A species that was effectively eliminated from British waters only a generation ago should remain fully protected until recovery is genuinely irreversible. The decision to permit commercial fishing on a population that has recovered for merely 15 years represents a premature gamble with hard-won conservation gains, particularly given that long-lived species like bluefin tuna recover slowly if populations crash again. Opening these waters to commercial exploitation, even under licence, risks reintroducing the overfishing pressure that nearly destroyed the species and treats this ecological recovery as an opportunity for economic extraction rather than an opportunity to demonstrate that humans can protect wildlife absolutely. True conservation success would be demonstrated by allowing the species to flourish without commercial pressure, not by swiftly returning it to market.