The Rula of Avilés has awarded this Wednesday in auction the fourth bluefin tuna accidentally caught by Asturian boats within a week. On this occasion, it is a specimen of 220 kilos caught by the longliner from Cudillero "Mar de Pedro" about 11 miles off the coast, in front of Cabo Peñas. This same vessel had caught another tuna with similar characteristics in that area the previous day.
According to a press release from the Port of Avilés, the piece has been put up for sale by Pescaderías Vicente, located in the Plaza de Abastos of Avilés. It is the fourth bluefin tuna that Asturian fishermen have caught accidentally since last Tuesday. The first, weighing 163.5 kilos and measuring 2 meters in length, was caught on September 29 by the coastal trawler Eleuterio José Balayo about 14 miles to the North, between Cudillero and Luarca. The other two, weighing 211 and 193 kilos, were also caught in front of Cabo Peñas by the pixueta vessels "Nuevo Hermanos Suárez" and "Mar de Pedro".
The fishing of bluefin tuna is subject to specific regulations that allow Cantabrian vessels to accidentally catch a single specimen per tide and day.
Among the obligations is to notify of the unloading four hours in advance —instead of the usual two for other species— and to mark the piece on board with a device supplied by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, identifiers that have been incorporated into the Avilés fleet in recent weeks.