We were only fishing for sprats – but hooked monster tuna!

AHUGE 9ft bluefin tuna that “could have fed a whole town” was accidentally caught by Brixham fishermen – but strict quota rules meant no one could eat it.

The giant fish – weighing around 350kg – was mistakenly netted off the Devon coast by fishermen out looking for sprats.

Joshua Perkes, of Brixham Seafish said the tuna died in the net before it could be released. UK crews have no quota to catch tuna so it remained untouched and had to be sent away for scientific research.

The tuna was caught by Chris Shears, 33, skipper of the day boat Constant Friend, which leaves the port in Brixham each day at 5am. Its crew, including two teenagers and a deckhand, caught the fish on Wednesday while trawling for sprats.

The fish has now been donated to the University of Exeter where researchers will test it to establish its age.

A statement release by Brixham Seafish said: “Estimated at 350kg they are becoming a common sight in our waters due to rising water temperatures and an abundance of bait fish. It’s probably worth in excess of £10,000 and would have fed our whole town.

“The French do have quota on the species and do land a fair amount in season.”

Joshua, 31, co-owner of Brixham Seafish, said: “It’s a waste. We’re not out to try and catch them – they’re caught by accident. The bait that he has been eating were caught and he was caught with it and ended up drowning. Unfortunately there’s no quota in England. It seems a shame that we can’t do anything about it. We want the quota to change.”

Recently the British fishing industry was outraged after French fishermen landed 44 bluefin tuna off the coast of Jersey. The catch was potentially worth tens of thousands of pounds, but the British are unable to land the fish.

The situation added to rising tensions between UK fishermen and their French counterparts who were already engaged in the so-called Scallop Wars.

Bluefin tuna is a prohibited species for UK-registered fishing vessels and if caught as bycatch must be returned to the sea alive if possible.

If dead, the catch must be reported to the Marine Management Organisation and must not be sold or given away unless it is for scientific research.

Bluefin are an endangered species and are one of the largest species of tuna and can live for up to 40 years.

There are several species but the Atlantic bluefin can reach 10ft in length and weigh as much as 1,500 lbs, more than a horse, and can swim up to 43mph across long distances.

They can be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds on the black market and one sold for a record £1.09 million at a Tokyo auction in 2013.

Constant Friend crew, skipper Chris Shears (centre) and Craig Wright (right) with the 350kg bluefin tuna which was caught by accident off the Devon coastPicture: SWNS