Giant four-metre fish washed up on popular beach is a ‘rare visitor’ to UK
A Welsh dogwalker was stunned after they discovered a four-metre-long monster fish while walking on the picturesque Gower coast last week (June 10).
The humungous fish was sighted along Oxwich Bay after the owner's dog Sasha became excited by a large object in the distance.
When they drew close to the mammoth fish, the owner described it as "the biggest fish we've ever seen" reports WalesOnline.
The large aquatic creature has since been identified as an Atlantic bluefin tuna, an endangered species of the marine animal and the largest of its kind according to WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature).
These ridiculous fish are endangered due to overfishing dating back decades, however, there has been a resurgence in sightings across the UK and in Wales leading to hope the species are reproducing well.
But still sightings of the tuna in UK waters is exceedingly rare making the sad washing up of one a strange and unusual sight.
They are one of four species of tuna that visit the UK but usually in rare circumstances, predominantly visiting the southwestern side of the UK in Cornwall.
Ecologist Thomas Faulkner, who works closely with the Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales, identified the species of tuna found on Oxwich Bay.
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He explained: "Bluefin tuna are recolonising south western coastland, especially Cornwall, after previously going extinct.
"These species are typically rare visitors to the UK and even rarer to Wales. They can reach up to four metres long, so you can identify this one just from the sheer size of it.
"The south or westerly winds could have washed it up from Cornwall or the Celtic deep."
He added that it was a positive sign of the species growing in our waters.
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