Caribbean fish found off Cornwall

The Almaco Jack is used to basking in warmer waters

A fish that normally lives in the Caribbean has been caught by a fisherman in Cornish waters.

The Almaco Jack was caught just off Crantock in north Cornwall by Newquay fisherman Phil Trebilcock.

Marine experts believe the catch, believed to be only the fifth Almaco Jack in British waters, is another sign of global warming.

Last week a Porbeagle Shark, normally confined to south coast, was caught by North Sea trawlermen.

The sea in the South West is becoming a real mixing pot David Waines

David Waines of Newquay's Blue Reef Aquarium, which is looking after the fish, said it was extremely unusual for this particular species to turn up in British waters.

He said: "As far as we're aware it's only the fifth specimen ever recorded in British waters and the first to have been kept alive.

"Sea temperatures around Cornwall peak at around this time of year at around 16-17C so it's perfectly possible for warmer water species to survive.

"However in winter they drop back by 10-12C and therefore exotic fish only have a relatively small window of opportunity to survive."

He said more warm water fish such as trigger fish and couches bream were being spotted in waters off the south west coast.

"The sea in the South West is becoming a real mixing pot," he said.

"It's an effect of the warming of the oceans and we are going to see more examples of warm water fish coming in."

Alleged sightings of a Great White Shark off Cornwall this summer raised concerns about the affect of warming seas.

But footage of a shark breaching in the water near dolphins off St Ives is now thought to have been a Porbeagle Shark.

And a Newquay man admitted his picture of a great white was not taken off the north Cornwall coast, but during a fishing trip to South Africa.