Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has recorded the capture and tagging of the first Atlantic bluefin tuna of 2024.
The giant fish, measuring 1.68 metres, was caught, measured, tagged and released at Donegal Bay last Monday 29 July.
In 2023, a total of 381 Atlantic bluefin tuna were tagged by authorised skippers in Irish waters.
Recreational angling for Atlantic bluefin tuna is technically prohibited in Ireland.
However, through the Tuna CHART (CatcH And Release Tagging) programme, authorised charter skippers can capture, measure, tag and release bluefin during the 2024 season, which began on 1 July.
Bluefin tuna captures are kept in the water alongside boats, which progress slowly at speeds of 2-3 knots to ensure the fish remain in the best possible condition for their release.
Atlantic bluefin tuna average 2m in length in Irish waters, but can surpass lengths of 4m and weigh more than 600kg.
They are caught between 1km and 20km off the coast of Ireland.
Skipper Adrian Molloy caught and released the first bluefin on Monday 29 July and landed a second on the following day.
Dr William Roche of IFI said: “The first fish of the season marks the start of a sustained period of data collection on bluefin tuna.
“Typically in summer, Atlantic bluefin tuna migrate to their feeding waters in Ireland in large numbers.
“This provides an excellent opportunity to tag tuna and collect data on when they appear in Irish waters, where they go, and what size they are.
“Any recaptures of tagged tuna will provide high-quality information on their wider migrations around the Atlantic Ocean, or the Mediterranean Sea, or further afield.
“IFI is very grateful to authorised skippers for their work on this large-scale information collection programme.”
The 2024 Tuna CHART programme season runs until 12 November.
