Huge four-metre long fish found washed up on Gower beach

A large four-metre long fish has been found washed up on a Gower beach.

A dog walker spotted the creature while strolling on Oxwich Bay on Friday, June 10.

They said they noticed it while walking with their dog, Sasha, describing it as "the biggest fish we've ever seen".The fish has since been identified as an Atlantic bluefin tuna, an endangered species of the marine animal and the largest of its kind according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Atlantic bluefin tuna are endangered due to overfishing, but there has been a resurgence in sightings across the UK.

They are one of four species of tuna that visit the UK but usually in rare circumstances, predominantly visiting the south western coast.

Ecologist Thomas Faulkner, who works closely with the Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales, identified the species of tuna found on Oxwich Bay.

"Bluefin tuna are recolonising the south western coastland, especially Cornwall, after previously going extinct", he said.

"These species are typically rare visitors to the UK and even rarer to Wales. They can reach up to four metres long, so you can identify this one just from the sheer size of it. The south or westerly winds could have washed it up from Cornwall or the Celtic deep."

He added that it was a positive sign of the species growing in our waters.

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