Aberdeenshire villagers were surprised when an 8ft long fish described as being “extremely rare” in British waters washed up on their beach.
People in St Fergus “couldn’t believe it” when they discovered the body of an Atlantic Bluefin Tuna had been brought ashore by the tide on Scotstown beach.
It is estimated the fish, which would have been capable of swimming at speeds of 40mph, weighs around 30 stone.
Alex Hay, from Peterhead, was told about the startling discovery by two surfers when he was walking his dog on Saturday morning.
Mr Hay said: “They came up and spoke to me, and said there was a massive tuna not far up the beach.
“I didn’t really believe them though. I thought it might be a dolphin or something like that, but as I got closer I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
“I’ve never seen a fish that big before.
“It was still fresh so it obviously got washed up with the last tide, but I’m not sure if it got stuck when it came in too close or what happened.”
Crowds of all ages gathered on the beach throughout the weekend, with locals wanting to get a closer look at the giant fish.
Councillor for Peterhead North and Rattray, Dianne Beagrie, added: “I saw this and thought it very unusual, I’ve never heard of this before.
“I’m married to a fisherman and he’s never known tuna in this area.”
Photos have since been shared on various social media pages.
Chris Rickard, who posted several images, described the fish as “a magnificent animal”.
He added that it had no sign of any damage “apart from a little historical nick on the tail.”
Mr Rickard suggested that the low water temperature may have caused the tuna to die, as the fish are unable to regulate their body temperature.
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna are said to be one of the largest and fastest fish in the world. They can measure up to 10ft and weigh as much as 100 stone.
The species returned to British waters around 2013.
They are known to migrate across all oceans but most catches of this particular tuna are taken from the Mediterranean Sea, according to WWF.
In 2018, a Bluefin tuna measuring around 6.5ft was found washed up on a beach in Sanday, Orkney, which attracted crowds of people.
On that occasion, it was believed the fish was swept out of its native waters by a storm.
