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A nine-year-old girl has been praised for her "strength and determination" after she caught a huge tuna reportedly weighing 400 pounds.
Izzy Crotty caught the fish while out on a chartered boat with her father, John, off the coast of Plymouth, Devon, in September.
Being the daughter of a farmer, she's used to physical jobs—but tuna fishing is no easy task.
Atlantic bluefin tuna are the largest in the world, measuring between six and 10 feet and weighing around 1,500 lbs, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). They can also live for longer than 35 years.
Bluefin tuna are top predators in the ocean with torpedo-shaped bodies built for speed. They are also valued highly as a delicacy and can fetch high prices particularly in the Japanese sushi market.
Tuna in general, including other species like skipjack tuna, makes up over a third of the total seafood segment in the U.S. Americans eat about 1 billion lbs of it every single year, according to the National Fisheries Institute.
The food is valued for its protein and the fact that it is low in fat and abundant in essential omega-3 fatty acids.
Due to overfishing, Atlantic bluefin tuna are thought to be an endangered species. Though a certain amount of accidental bycatch may be permitted, it's illegal to catch them in British waters. However, sport fisheries may get licenses allowing them to catch, tag, and release the fish for study.
Despite the huge size of the fish, Izzy succeeded in catching one. It weighed in at around 400 lbs, according to the Daily Mail.
"Tuna fishing is not easy," Mark Jury, who operates tuna fishing company Fortuna Charters, told Newsweek. "It demands drive and tenacity, strength and determination.
"[Izzy] had very little help from others and completed the task in less than an hour."
Fortuna Charters published a Facebook post about the young girl's achievement on September 11. "First fish on and Izzy gave it a great effort from the rod holder wicked tuna style using all her strength to wind in a monster."
The tuna fishing company said she "is going to be one hell of a fisherwoman."
After the fish was hauled aboard the boat, it was tagged and released in accordance with U.K. law, Fortuna Charters said. The fish was one of four tagged and released in total.
Not all species of tuna are equally endangered. Skipjack tuna are thought to be the most abundant and are the most common type found in canned tuna.
