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Do not deliberately target a bluefin tuna unless the vessel is properly authorised for the fishery you are taking part in. A sighting is not permission to fish for one. If you are in the Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO) English catch-and-release recreational fishery (CRRF), your vessel must hold a 2026 permit, fishing is by rod and line in English waters only, and any caught tuna must stay in the sea, be unharmed, and be released. Every permitted CRRF trip must be reported within 24 hours of the vessel’s return, even when no tuna was caught.

The legal position is different for a commercially licensed vessel and is not fully defined in the published guidance for an unpermitted recreational angler who accidentally hooks a fish. Do not assume that the CRRF reporting deadline or procedure applies to you. Separate a sighting, an accidental hook-up, deliberate recreational fishing and commercial activity before deciding what to do.

First identify what has happened

You have only seen a bluefin tuna

A tuna swimming near your boat does not give you permission to cast, troll or otherwise target it. Continue only with fishing that is lawful for your licence, permit and location. Do not change course or gear specifically to pursue the fish unless the vessel is authorised for that activity.

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Record the observation only if doing so can be done without interfering with safe navigation or encouraging anyone to target the fish. A sighting is not a catch, and the English CRRF’s 24-hour trip-reporting rule is written for permitted CRRF trips, not for every angler who happens to see a tuna.

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You have accidentally hooked one

An accidental hook-up is legally different from a deliberate attempt to catch bluefin. The current official material explains the conduct required in the regulated English CRRF and the commercial fishery, but it does not publish a separate step-by-step welfare protocol, reporting channel or deadline for an unpermitted recreational angler’s accidental hook-up.

Do not turn an accidental event into deliberate targeting. Do not assume that you may bring the fish aboard, transfer it, land it or retain it. Those actions are expressly prohibited for a fish caught under the English CRRF and may conflict with other applicable rules. Seek instructions from the relevant fisheries authority for your exact location and vessel status rather than applying the CRRF form or 24-hour deadline automatically.

You intentionally want to fish for bluefin

Stop and check authorisation before casting. In England, recreational participation requires a permit identifying the vessel. Commercial targeting requires a fishing licence that specifically authorises bluefin activity. A normal sea-angling licence, a charter booking or a general fishing licence is not described in the MMO guidance as a substitute for those permissions.

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The 2026 English recreational catch-and-release fishery

The MMO administers the English CRRF. It is a narrowly defined fishery, not a general UK-wide permission to catch bluefin. The permit is issued to the named vessel and covers rod-and-line catch-and-release fishing in English waters only.

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2026 dates and eligibility

Item 2026 MMO information
Application opened 24 March 2026
Application deadline 23:59 on 13 April 2026
Fishing season 13 July to 30 November 2026
Training Successful applicants had to complete accredited mandatory training before a permit could be issued
Area English waters only
Method Rod and line only
Permit status The 2026 application window has closed

The vessel owner and skipper are responsible for meeting the fishery conditions. The MMO may consider removing a permit when requirements are not followed.

What happens when a permitted vessel hooks a tuna

The MMO’s conditions state that a bluefin tuna caught in the CRRF must not be:

  • harmed;
  • removed from the sea;
  • brought aboard the vessel;
  • transferred to another vessel; or
  • landed.

These are fishery conditions, not optional good practice. They mean the release must be managed without putting the tuna on deck or taking it ashore. The skipper and vessel owner should follow the accredited training and the permit conditions for the particular trip.

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Trip reporting

For every permitted CRRF trip in English waters, the vessel owner must submit a report within 24 hours after the vessel returns. The requirement applies whether a bluefin was caught or the trip produced no bluefin catch.

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The MMO lists the following minimum information for a report:

  • date of the trip;
  • ICES rectangle for the fishing location;
  • number of bluefin caught;
  • length of each fish;
  • gear used;
  • fight time;
  • recovery period;
  • condition on release; and
  • incidental bycatch.

The 24-hour requirement belongs to the regulated CRRF. The published material does not say that an ordinary, unpermitted angler must file the same report after an accidental encounter.

A practical decision path for a recreational angler

  1. Stop intentional pursuit. If the fish was only sighted, do not alter your fishing to target it. If a hook-up occurred accidentally, do not make additional casts or deploy gear to catch another tuna.
  2. Establish your location. The English CRRF applies only in English waters. A trip in Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish waters is not covered by an English permit simply because the vessel departed from England.
  3. Establish your authority. Ask whether the named vessel holds the relevant 2026 English CRRF permit. If the vessel is commercial, check whether its fishing licence specifically authorises bluefin targeting.
  4. Keep the fish out of the boat. For a permitted CRRF catch, removal from the sea, bringing the fish aboard, transfer and landing are expressly prohibited. Do not treat a large fish as a trophy or attempt an onboard measurement.
  5. Follow the applicable trained or licensed procedure. A CRRF permit holder should use the methods covered by mandatory accredited training and the permit conditions. A commercial skipper should follow the commercial bluefin and bycatch requirements for the vessel.
  6. Report only under the rule that actually covers the trip. A permitted CRRF vessel must submit its trip report within 24 hours of returning. For an unpermitted accidental hook-up, the current published sources do not establish a general public reporting route or deadline; obtain authority instructions rather than guessing.

If an unpermitted angler accidentally hooks a tuna

This is the situation for which the available guidance is least specific. The official CRRF documents describe a permitted fishery, while the commercial documents describe licensed vessels. They do not provide an accidental-hook-up flowchart for an ordinary recreational angler outside the CRRF.

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That gap does not create permission to keep the fish. The safest interpretation is to avoid intentional pursuit, avoid actions that could harm the tuna, and avoid bringing it aboard or landing it. Do not claim that you have fulfilled the CRRF’s 24-hour reporting duty merely by sending an informal message, and do not claim that the duty applies to you unless the authority confirms that your trip falls within the CRRF.

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When the immediate situation is under control, contact the fisheries authority responsible for the waters in which the incident occurred and ask what notification, if any, is required. Keep a factual note of the date, approximate location, gear and what happened so you can answer questions accurately. This record is a prudent aid, not a substitute for an official reporting instruction.

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Rules for commercial vessels and bycatch

Commercial activity must not be treated as an extension of the recreational CRRF. Commercial targeting requires specific authorisation on the vessel’s fishing licence. A commercial vessel that is licensed for another fishery cannot assume that bluefin targeting is allowed.

The MMO says bluefin should be released alive and unharmed wherever possible. If a fish cannot be returned alive, the vessel must record the bycatch. The instructions for a dead fish depend on the minimum conservation reference size and the vessel’s circumstances, so the skipper must use the commercial guidance rather than the recreational CRRF rules.

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Commercial reference 2026 value or condition
Minimum conservation reference size for Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna 30 kg or 115 cm fork length
Live release Release alive and unharmed wherever possible
If live release is impossible Record the bycatch and follow the applicable instructions for the fish’s size and vessel circumstances
Records Commercial activity and landing records have separate requirements

The reference size is not a recreational permission to measure, retain or land a fish. It is part of the commercial bycatch framework.

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English waters are not the same as all UK waters

“UK waters” covers more than one fisheries jurisdiction. The English CRRF permit does not extend into Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish waters. A vessel crossing a boundary must check the rules that apply where it is actually fishing, including any local permit, licence, seasonal or reporting conditions.

The commercial guidance is broader in scope but still contains geographic limits and separate conditions. Do not combine a commercial rule about bycatch with an English recreational rule about catch-and-release, and do not describe either as a single all-UK procedure.

What the published statistics do—and do not—show

The MMO reports that the English CRRF began in 2024. It collects operational data and reports data to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

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For the 2025 English CRRF season, the MMO reported that 2,586 of 2,666 recorded hook-ups—97.00%—were released in an “alert” condition. That is a reported condition category for that season, not a guarantee that every fish survived or that an individual fish will have the same outcome.

The MMO’s 2026 overview states a UK annual bluefin quota allocation of 230 tonnes for 2026–2028, with 120 tonnes supporting the 2026 commercial fishery in 2026. Those quota figures describe management allocations; they do not give an unpermitted recreational vessel a right to target or land bluefin.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • “I saw one, so I can fish for it.” A sighting confers no permission.
  • “Any UK fishing boat can join the English fishery.” The permit identifies the vessel, and the 2026 application window is closed.
  • “The fish can come aboard briefly for a photograph.” Bringing a CRRF-caught fish aboard is expressly prohibited.
  • “The 24-hour report applies to every angler.” The stated rule covers permitted English CRRF trips; its application to an unpermitted accidental hook-up is not established.
  • “Commercial and recreational rules are interchangeable.” Commercial targeting, bycatch and landing records use a separate licensing framework.
  • “An English permit covers the whole UK.” It is limited to English waters.
  • “The 97% figure guarantees survival.” “Alert” is a reported release-condition category, not a survival guarantee.

Bottom line for the person at the rod

If you merely see a bluefin, do not target it. If you are a permitted English CRRF vessel, keep any caught fish unharmed and in the sea, follow your training and permit conditions, and file the required trip report within 24 hours of returning—even with no catch. If you are on a commercial vessel, rely on the vessel’s specific licence and commercial bycatch instructions. If you are an unpermitted recreational angler who accidentally hooks one, do not assume the CRRF reporting rule or procedure applies; avoid deliberate pursuit or harmful handling and obtain instructions from the authority for the waters where it happened.

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