A Connemara sea angler has landed a ten-foot-long 660 lb bluefin tuna into Cleggan pier.
Mr John King, skipper of the 40-foot Western Kingfisher, spent over four hours wrestling with the fish some 25 miles off Cleggan late last week.
The fish doesn't match the record set in Donegal last year of 968 lbs, but is a record for Cleggan.
Mr King was participating in trials run with Dr Peter Tyndall of Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), aimed at lengthening the sea angling season.
Bluefin tuna are caught by larger commercial vessels in these waters at this time of year during their migration period, but the catch with trolling gear is a new development for the Connemara coast.
The day before Mr King's catch, the first bluefin for Cleggan was snared by Mr Johnny Brittain of Cleggan who is also participating in the BIM project.
Yesterday, the 660 lb fish was on display in Galway Bay Seafoods in Galway harbour. Mr John Holland, director of Galway Bay Seafoods, said he was delighted to have it, and had never seen a tuna that large.
