The catch of two huge tuna fish in Whitby this week has made national headlines, as well as ours, as it is the first time Bluefin has been landed in the town’s harbour for around 90 years.
There has been local and national interest in The Anchor’s story on Monday about a 748lb Bluefin tuna fish being caught by the only local authorised vessel Dominator-A.
A record-breaking catch, which still stands to this day, made the headlines back in 1933 when Lorenzo Mitchell-Henry landed a Bluefin weighing in at 850lbs and measuring almost 2.75 metres in length.
Mitchell-Henry was an Irish angler and in it for the big catches and big money. He had fished for them in Canada but wanted to find them in European waters, and reports of strong stocks led him to the fishing grounds off Whitby and Scarborough.
These images from Whitby Museum show Mitchell-Henry and his assistant with that record catch, which still stands.
In the late 1920s and 1930s the Yorkshire coast became a hotspot for rich and famous fishing fans to try their luck in catching Bluefin for sport.
Some stories say, Mitchell-Henry was so competitive he designed a piece of equipment for his home gym in London to replicate reeling in a tunny (as tuna was referred to in those days) and would train on it for up to an hour a day.
A newspaper report documenting his record catch says Mitchell-Henry was a member of the British Sea Anglers Society and that he brought the catch into Whitby on August 19, 1933 after setting out to sea the previous day on the boat “Fortunatus”.
The report goes on to say: “With one of the crew, Mr Mitchell-Henry entered a rowing boat, and immediately afterwards hooked a tunny. Then ensued a tremendous struggle, which lasted five hours (four of them in darkness) in a rough sea. The great fish towed the boat in all directions for some twelve miles, but was eventually secured.”
According to the report, the catch attracted “enormous public interest when brought ashore” as have the most recent landings.
The last tuna landed in this region was in the 1950s. Their population decreased in part due to the over-fishing of herring, which is one of the Bluefin’s main food sources.
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) operates a catch and release scheme for recreational fishing of Bluefin tuna. It also regulates the commercial fishing season on Bluefin, which runs from July to the end of December.
One hundred and fifty-five UK vessels applied for a commercial licence for this year, 66 met the pass criteria and entered a ballot, which drew 30 for authorisation.
The only local vessel with authorisation is Dominator-A, owned by Clive Easton and skippered by Ben Shutt. It has to comply with strict criteria such as recording all catches of Bluefin, having a quota of four tonnes, keeping fishing trips to under 24 hours and using a rod and reel only.
