Kilmore Quay fisherman Trevor Devereux standing alongside a 450lb blue fin tuna that was caught by accident in trawler nets. The fish have been frequenting the Wexford coast in recent months and years.
BOATS FISHING off the coast of Kilmore Quay have found themselves coming face-to-face with a rare visitor over the past few weeks as a large number of blue fin tuna have been swimming in Wexford waters.
The blue fin tuna is a large fish, varying between 250 and 600lbs in size and is extremely valuable, fetching up to €100,000 in some markets, particularly in Japan where it is in huge demand.
However, because of Ireland’s fishing quotas, Irish fishermen are not permitted to catch them and, when eight were accidentally caught by a trawler recently, they were sold for a total of just €5,000 after the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency granted a waiver in this case.
[Full exclusive story in this week’s Echo Newspaper]