Rare tropical fish caught in British waters for first time

A pub landlord has become the first person ever to catch a rare breed of tropical fish off the coast of Britain.

09 Oct 2009

Neil McDonnell, 37, is the first angler on record to use a rod and line to catch an almaco jack – a fish normally found in the Caribbean.

Experts say the fish could be a sign of global warming and hotter seas as the species usually stay in much milder waters off Florida.

Mr McDonnell has sent proof of his catch to the British Records Fish Committee who say it is the first caught with a rod and line.

Mr McDonnell, a keen fisherman, said: "It's definitely a jack It's very exciting. It's a brilliant find.

It's caused quite a buzz around the pub because it's so unusual.

"It is perhaps one of the few benefits of global warming that such species are arriving off our coast."

Mr McDonnell caught his jack on a sea fishing trip with six pub regulars five miles off Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel.

A spokesman for the National Marine Aquarium said photos of the fish had been passed to a tropical fish expert who identified it is an almaco jack.

Angling expert Keith Armishaw said it is the first of its type caught off Britain with a rod and line.

He said: "Jack are a family of fish highly regarded as sport fish in the Caribbean and around Florida.

"There may be a colony establishing itself in the Bristol Channel, probably arriving via the Gulf Stream."

The almaco jack – seriola rivoliana – is a game species that feed on other fish and small squid.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/6276002/Rare-tropical-fish-caught-in-British-waters-for-first-time.html