300kg tuna caught off Whitby sold to sushi restaurant for whopping £5,000

The whopping fish had to be moved by forklift and ''four strong guys'' after being shipped to Jersey from Yorkshire.

Connor McMurray, of Dunn-Ross Fisheries, was alerted to the catch by his UK supplier MCB.

The tuna landed in Whitby before being transported to Jersey on Thursday - in the biggest to reach the island ever.

The tuna was later sold to Kyoto Prefecture, a sushi restaurant in St Helier, for £5k after the chef specifically requested a "showpiece" fish.

It was landed by the fishing vessel Dominator A, the same boat that recently made headlines after its crew landed a 338kg bluefin tuna, the first caught and landed in Whitby for almost 90 years with the help of teen Ada Peake.

However, its sheer size almost prevented it from reaching the fish market in Jersey.

Freight operator Ferryspeed initially required a forklift to remove the fish from the back of the lorry.

But as they didn't have a forklift, staff used a pulley winch system and trolleys to manoeuvre the giant fish from the delivery vehicle, temporarily closing the pavement outside the business to do so safely.

Once the tuna was offloaded, Connor realised more manpower would be needed - and turned to four bodybuilder friends to help manoeuvre the fish from the lorry.

He said: "I knew I needed some stronger blokes, so I phoned up a mate who's got a building company over here, and I said, 'I need four of your strongest guys'.

"Me, two staff members, and with those four, we managed to lift it out of the box. I think the head alone weighed about 40kg.

"We had a really good reaction from the public. We had about a crowd of 50 people who were even FaceTiming or live streaming.

"It was a really nice atmosphere for us in the fish market."

"When I got the phone call that a 300kg tuna was available, I phoned him, and he said he was more than happy for it," Connor said.

The pair spent around two hours preparing the fish, carefully dividing it into eight sections rather than the usual four to avoid damaging the premium meat.

He said: "It took us about two hours to get it off the bone. We had to do it in eight different sections because it was that big."

Connor believes the tuna is the largest fish imported to Jersey so far and said demand for bluefin tuna continues to grow.

"We've bought and sold 20 bluefin tuna caught locally now as well," he said.

"I didn't think it would sell this quick, but we can't seem to get enough of it."

Despite receiving photographs before the fish arrived, Connor said nothing prepared him for seeing it in person.

He said: "When I was told it was 300 kilos, I got sent some photos, but photos don't do it justice.

"When I saw it, it was the first time I thought, 'What have I got myself into?' I was shocked."

He added that the fish highlights the remarkable marine life found in waters around Jersey and the UK.

He said: "It's incredible to think fish of this size are swimming in UK and Jersey waters. You normally only see fish like that on TV.

"You don't really get the chance to see one in person."

While the enormous tuna proved a logistical challenge, Connor said he would welcome the opportunity to handle another one in the future.

"It was definitely a challenge, but it was great to be a part of it," he said.

"The public were really supportive and excited to see the fish.

"It was definitely a showpiece."