Kevin Brady, Steve Burgess and Alec Foster discovered a huge, more than 2-metre long and almost 68 kg tuna fish when they were kayaking across the River Severn. Of course, impressed by the animal, which does not naturally occur in the cold English waters, the three friends were quick to film the encounter...
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Even experts who rushed to the site to inspect the fish were not able to determine how it got there or how it died. But it is thought that the massive fish made it's way into the estuary to follow the warmer waters.
A result of global warming
Brady, who in 2015 had become the first person to swim the whole length of the 220-mile River Severn showed off his catch by posting the video online. However, Dai Francis from the Severn and Wye Smokery claims that the strange fish sighting was not all that unexpected. He suggested that the whopping fish was probably brought upstream by 'massive tides':
This last week we have had some massive tides so it's probably followed the salmon and everything else up the river. You do not usually get tuna in British waters but as the water temperature increases, they are getting spotted more and more. The water temperature in the River Severn is about 17C, which is really warm for this time of year. That means all the fish from the West coast of France, the Bay of Biscay for instance, come around the corner and into the Bristol Channel.
He continued:
Basically, the big fish follow the smaller fish and climate change means they come in further. You do not usually get tuna in British waters but as the water temperature increases, they are getting spotted more and more...
In fact, Francis stated that in recent years the North East ports have become well known among the rich as an excellent tuna fishing spot and they would often take their yachts to try their hand at tuna fishing.
So be on the lookout if you're fishing in the rivers. Your next meal could be some fresh tuna!
Take a look at the video above to see the monstrous catch for yourself!
