The biggest UK 'tuna boom' in a century has seen a bluefin weighing 210kg sell for more than £2k.

The giant fish was caught last week and sold at an auction on Friday at Brixham Fish Market, Devon.

Ian Perkes, a wholesaler and exporter based in Brixham, who bought the fish, said that for the area it was a "big fish"."

He said the previously endangered bluefin tuna had reappeared in local waters in the past two years after 100 years as they were looking for food.

Ian, 69, who has been a fish merchant for nearly 50 years, said: "We didn't have to find out about the auction as we are based at the top of the fish hall at Brixham Market so we know what is made available."

"This fish happens to be the one that has been caught so far. We bought and we sold it. It is what we do, it is our job."

"This fish is not 30 per cent as big as the world record but for this area is a big fish - the world record is 680kg."

He added that bluefin tuna was not always a usual find in Devon's waters.

Ian said: "It is not common and they have just arrived in the last two or three years. "

"The last time we had fish like this was back in the 30s."

"It has come back for feed. It is chasing the food."

He said the fishermen that caught the fish - using rod and line - were not using a big boat.

"There's a fisherman cooperative and around 150 or 200 boats that land in Brixham because it is the biggest value wise in the country," he added."

Bluefin are the largest tunas and can live up to 40 years. They migrate across all oceans and can dive deeper than 3,000 feet.

Overfishing and high demand for the bluefin tuna for many years have severely depleted stocks, leading to strict regulations and quotas that limit supply.

Only a small number of licensed commercial vessels are permitted to fish for bluefin, and they must adhere to stringent rules on when and how many fish they can catch.

These regulations have led to the recovery of bluefin tuna populations in some areas, such as UK waters, but close monitoring of commercial voyages is still considered vital.

Known as the most expensive fish in the world, the highest price for a single bluefin tuna cost a sushi magnate 333.6 million yen - £2,022,784 - in 2019.

Bluefin tuna numbers are rising across the UK after being virtually absent in the 1990s, thanks to a recovery plan set up by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

According to the Marine Conservation Society, it is not yet clear whether populations have reached sustainable levels to withstand commercial fishing.