Dozens of people have reported seeing the species, which in recent years have started massing in huge numbers around Jersey but usually stay well out to sea towards the Roches Douvres lighthouse to the south-west and near the Minquiers reef to the south.
And one lucky Islander, John Ovenden, even managed to photograph one of the normally elusive fish, which travel at speeds of over 40mph. Describing the experience, he said: ‘I had been invited out on a friend’s boat and we went out between Jersey and Guernsey. You initially see a disturbance in the water and hope that something will come out of it. Luckily, in this case, my camera was pointing in the right direction.
‘They are different to dolphins, as you do not get any sign that they are coming. Also, with tuna, you just get a quick glimpse of them and then they are gone again.’
He added: ‘Afterwards, I felt absolutely buzzing. I am still buzzing now.’
Meanwhile, posting on the Jersey Wildlife Facebook page on Saturday, Richard Stevens, owner of Jersey Seafaris, said: ‘Big bluefin tuna, multiple breaches, chasing within 200 metres of Grève de Lecq beach this evening – no pictures or videos unfortunately.’
Don Thompson, president of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association, says he also saw the species off the south coast.
‘The first sightings were towards Alderney this year, whereas they were sighted towards the Roches Douvres last year and before moving into our waters,’ he said.
‘They have moved here in the last month – there have been frequent sightings of them. Even some quite close inshore – there has been a huge abundance of mackerel and they have been chasing them inshore. I personally saw them at the Portelet end of St Brelade’s Bay.’
Sightings have also been reported around a mile north of Bouley Bay.
Alex Plaster, assistant fisheries officer, said it was not clear why the species had been spotted so close to shore.
‘They are always chasing their prey. Wherever the baitfish are, then they should come into these waters,’ he said.
‘Anecdotally, there does seem to be a lot of bait closer inshore this year – that is something we still need to do a study on but that may be why they are coming closer.
‘But it is really hard to put your finger on why exactly this is happening. We are still unsure on that one. There is no exact answer.
‘As far as sightings go, this has happened before but, with the nice weather and with it happening on the weekends especially, the sightings have gone through the roof – I know a few photos were taken on Saturday of some jumping out of the water.’
Meanwhile, Mr Thompson has renewed calls to allow a small bluefin tuna fishery to be opened in Jersey. They come after French media reported that 5.4 tonnes of the species passed through the nearby Granville fish auction house in Normandy last year.
Mr Thompson added that the situation made a mockery of the Granville Bay Treaty – set up to allow Jersey fishermen to sell their catch in France in return for allowing Brittany and Normandy fishing vessels access to the Island’s waters.
‘They [French fishermen] regularly land bluefin tuna right through the summer months on the Granville market, with much of it coming from our waters – there is no question about that,’ he said.
‘It really just highlights what a bizarre scenario the whole Granville Bay agreement is, where French fishermen are catching fish in our waters which we are banned from catching,’ he said.
‘They do not target them. It is just a bycatch but they are so prolific they cannot avoid it.’
