Three Devon fishers have broken British records with their catch this summer.
A Couch’s sea bream caught near Dartmouth by Peter Kibel measured 59cm (23in), an Atlantic Bonito measuring 73cm (28in) was netted near Ilfracombe and a new sea “mini-species” of Steven’s goby found off Plymouth Sound by Chris Scott, weighed 9.33g (2lbs), said The Angling Trust which ratified the records.
David Kiddy caught the Atlantic Bonito and said blue fin tuna appearing off Devon’s coasts may be bringing the Bonitos possibly due to climate change.
Mr Kiddy said it was a “stroke of good fortune” that he caught the record-breaker and he added “more and more exotic species are turning up all the time.”
The catch was “such a whopper we had to keep it” and the boat’s skipper Dan Hawkins said the 9.12lb (4.13kg) fish might be a a record-breaker.
“We had it hanging upside down in the fridge and Dan said ‘don’t cut it’.”
Mr Kiddy said he got “dragged around the boat and caught up with a few of the other anglers” as he battled to land the fish.
Mr Kiddy caught the Bonito using a lure developed by his family fishing firm which it planned to sell.
