http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=189364
Showing posts with label monster-sized. Show all posts
Showing posts with label monster-sized. Show all posts
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Monster Fish
Friday, June 10, 2011
This 420-kilogramme Koi-Koral, caught in the Bay, was being sold at Kazirdewri Bazar in the port city of Chittagong yesterday at Tk 600 per kilogramme. Photo: Anurup Kanti Das
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=189364
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=189364
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Animal Planet's Jeremy Wade Risks Life And Limb To Capture River Monsters
Lee Speigel
First Posted: 06/ 3/11 08:25 AM ET
You don't have to travel all the way to Scotland's Loch Ness to search for a real monster. There may be one lurking in water much closer to home.
For those who doubt such things, just ask the folks who live near Mississippi's Chotard Lake. In February, a fisherman pulled a 327-pound, 8 1/2-foot-long prehistoric-looking alligator gar from the freshwater site.
One well-known angler, Jeremy Wade, doesn't know the meaning of the phrase "the big one that got away."
As host of the hugely popular Animal Planet series, "River Monsters," the 55-year-old biologist's life is a series of detective stories as he travels the world searching for unimaginable creatures that lurk in the murky depths of inland waterways.
"It starts with a crime scene or a story, and then it's an investigation," Wade told AOL Weird News from his home in England. "Following the analogy, I will have a list of suspects and will narrow it down to the prime suspect.
"I'll then apprehend the culprit and then I'll let him go. It's all about motivation and understanding, like why did this fish grab the leg of a person who was swimming in a lake?"
Wade is on a six-week trip to begin filming the fourth season of compelling adventures that would make Indiana Jones jealous. While he's obsessed with capturing the most fearsome, dangerous fish in the world, Wade introduces his audience to fascinating cultures who cautiously welcome him into their villages and lives.
He's been angling ever since his parents gave him his first fishing rod when he was around 7 years old.
"Fishing was a way for families to get their sons out of the house and out of trouble," he recalled. "I wasn't at all successful when I first started. There was just something about the whole experience -- something about a line in the water, just hanging there limp, nothing happening, and suddenly, it's alive.
"I was almost frightened to catch my first fish -- it was a very alien thing, from another world. For me, the attraction was to go back and catch something different, bigger and more demanding."
Wade's TV companion book, "River Monsters," (Da Capo Press) takes readers along on some of his more daring and dangerous journeys, revealing monster-sized fish in some of the most remote rivers and lakes on the planet.
What he finds is truly the stuff of nightmares. It's a rogues gallery that includes fearsome-looking catfish, tigerfish, piranha, alligator gar, as well as deadly stingrays, sawfish and electric eels.
One of the fish Wade set out to find was the fearsome goliath tigerfish of the Congo.
"From the accounts I'd read, it sounded completely impossible, like some giant piranha," he said. "The teeth of the fish are about 1 inch long. To put that into some kind of perspective, that is the same length of the teeth in a 1,000-pound great white shark. But this is something that actually swims up a river."
Wade is constantly reminded that while rivers of the world, like the Amazon and the Congo, are essential to people's lives, danger lurks nearby.
"If you haven't got running water in your house, you've got to go down to the river and wash your dishes, clothes, yourself, and you've got these fish, which are predatory, and they often have a reflex that can cause you to lose fingers or other parts of your body," Wade explained.
One of the more amazing pictures Wade snapped was in 1994 of an animal that's come to be known as the Amazon lake monster. At an estimated 9 feet long, the very prehistoric-looking beast appeared to have at least six humps on its back as it broke the surface of the water.
"In the end, the explanation turned out to be a bit mundane," Wade said. "I think it was a malformed, adult pink river dolphin.
"What probably happened is that it was likely caught in a fishing net and the fisherman possibly used his machete to mutilate it, and it became this mystery monster.
"I almost wished that I never knew that. But in some ways, the most important thing for me out of that whole story is the fact that I saw something in the water, nobody believed me, but the evidence of my eyes was correct -- I wasn't hallucinating."
Wade says that compared to the oceans of the world, scientists know very little about what lurks in the planet's vast number of rivers.
"Fresh water is a bit of a last frontier and, in many cases, the only way to find out what's in a river or a lake is to put a fishing line in there.
"There are fish that can grow up to 10 feet long, with a mouthful of nearly 500 teeth. And these are things that live really close to big populated areas. So if that doesn't fulfill the criteria for a monster, I'm not sure what does."
Most people go fishing to relax. What does Wade do?
"I take a break from fishing."
See more at: http://weirdnews.aol.com/2011/06/03/animal-planet-jeremy-ward-river-monsters_n_867182.html#s285370&title=River_Monsters
First Posted: 06/ 3/11 08:25 AM ET
You don't have to travel all the way to Scotland's Loch Ness to search for a real monster. There may be one lurking in water much closer to home.
For those who doubt such things, just ask the folks who live near Mississippi's Chotard Lake. In February, a fisherman pulled a 327-pound, 8 1/2-foot-long prehistoric-looking alligator gar from the freshwater site.
One well-known angler, Jeremy Wade, doesn't know the meaning of the phrase "the big one that got away."
As host of the hugely popular Animal Planet series, "River Monsters," the 55-year-old biologist's life is a series of detective stories as he travels the world searching for unimaginable creatures that lurk in the murky depths of inland waterways.
"It starts with a crime scene or a story, and then it's an investigation," Wade told AOL Weird News from his home in England. "Following the analogy, I will have a list of suspects and will narrow it down to the prime suspect.
"I'll then apprehend the culprit and then I'll let him go. It's all about motivation and understanding, like why did this fish grab the leg of a person who was swimming in a lake?"
Wade is on a six-week trip to begin filming the fourth season of compelling adventures that would make Indiana Jones jealous. While he's obsessed with capturing the most fearsome, dangerous fish in the world, Wade introduces his audience to fascinating cultures who cautiously welcome him into their villages and lives.
He's been angling ever since his parents gave him his first fishing rod when he was around 7 years old.
"Fishing was a way for families to get their sons out of the house and out of trouble," he recalled. "I wasn't at all successful when I first started. There was just something about the whole experience -- something about a line in the water, just hanging there limp, nothing happening, and suddenly, it's alive.
"I was almost frightened to catch my first fish -- it was a very alien thing, from another world. For me, the attraction was to go back and catch something different, bigger and more demanding."
Wade's TV companion book, "River Monsters," (Da Capo Press) takes readers along on some of his more daring and dangerous journeys, revealing monster-sized fish in some of the most remote rivers and lakes on the planet.
What he finds is truly the stuff of nightmares. It's a rogues gallery that includes fearsome-looking catfish, tigerfish, piranha, alligator gar, as well as deadly stingrays, sawfish and electric eels.
One of the fish Wade set out to find was the fearsome goliath tigerfish of the Congo.
"From the accounts I'd read, it sounded completely impossible, like some giant piranha," he said. "The teeth of the fish are about 1 inch long. To put that into some kind of perspective, that is the same length of the teeth in a 1,000-pound great white shark. But this is something that actually swims up a river."
Wade is constantly reminded that while rivers of the world, like the Amazon and the Congo, are essential to people's lives, danger lurks nearby.
"If you haven't got running water in your house, you've got to go down to the river and wash your dishes, clothes, yourself, and you've got these fish, which are predatory, and they often have a reflex that can cause you to lose fingers or other parts of your body," Wade explained.
One of the more amazing pictures Wade snapped was in 1994 of an animal that's come to be known as the Amazon lake monster. At an estimated 9 feet long, the very prehistoric-looking beast appeared to have at least six humps on its back as it broke the surface of the water.
"In the end, the explanation turned out to be a bit mundane," Wade said. "I think it was a malformed, adult pink river dolphin.
"What probably happened is that it was likely caught in a fishing net and the fisherman possibly used his machete to mutilate it, and it became this mystery monster.
"I almost wished that I never knew that. But in some ways, the most important thing for me out of that whole story is the fact that I saw something in the water, nobody believed me, but the evidence of my eyes was correct -- I wasn't hallucinating."
Wade says that compared to the oceans of the world, scientists know very little about what lurks in the planet's vast number of rivers.
"Fresh water is a bit of a last frontier and, in many cases, the only way to find out what's in a river or a lake is to put a fishing line in there.
"There are fish that can grow up to 10 feet long, with a mouthful of nearly 500 teeth. And these are things that live really close to big populated areas. So if that doesn't fulfill the criteria for a monster, I'm not sure what does."
Most people go fishing to relax. What does Wade do?
"I take a break from fishing."
See more at: http://weirdnews.aol.com/2011/06/03/animal-planet-jeremy-ward-river-monsters_n_867182.html#s285370&title=River_Monsters
Friday, 18 February 2011
Weymouth welcomes giant Japanese spider crab
 |
| The crab was caught by fishermen in Suruga Bay, southwest of Tokyo |
A Japanese spider crab believed to be the biggest seen in Britain has gone on display.
Named Crab Kong, he has a claw span of more than 8ft (2.4m), weighs 15kg (33lb) and is 30-40 years old.
The male spider crab was caught earlier this month by fishermen in Suruga Bay, south west of Tokyo.
The crab is on display at the Weymouth Sea Life Park but will be transferred to a permanent home at a Sea Life centre in Munich, Germany, at Easter.
The crabs are commonly found in the Pacific in 1,000 ft (300m) deep waters but have
been known to live deeper.
Sea Life biologist Robin James, who visited that part of Japan, was contacted by the fishermen.
"Getting in an animal as impressive as Crab Kong is the aquarium equivalent of signing Ronaldo.
"Giving people a chance to witness first hand one of the many wonders of the deep oceans helps boost support for marine conservation," he said.
In the wild, Japanese spider crabs can achieve a leg-span of over 12ft (3.7m). They can weigh as much as 19kg (41lb) and may live 100 years.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-12462694
(Via Dark Dorset)
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Cudmore Fisheries fears catfish will seize unwary dogs
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
A leading anglers' centre in north Staffordshire has banned dogs from some of its lakes - for fear they will be seized by large fish.
Cudmore Fisheries issued the ban after netting a 7ft long catfish at its Adelaide predator pool.
The managing director at Cudmore, Cyril Brewster, said: "We were aware that the local mink population had shrunk to nothing - this could be the reason."
Cudmore hosts the high-profile national Fish O'Mania contest.
The giant catfish was caught in a stock-taking of the lake, which also contains pike and perch and more than 100 younger catfish.
The fish weighed 61lb (27.6kg), and was 7ft (2.1m) long, though what staff reported as a bigger one got away because their net could not hold it.
No dogs
The fishery said it now feels it has to ban dogs. Cyril Brewster told BBC Radio Stoke: "These cats are not little pussycats. No pets will be allowed in the fishing area. Even my wife's dog will not be allowed to swim in the lake."
He confirmed that catfish will also take birds and chicks. It is believed that wild mink diving into the lake to take small fish have also been seized by the predatory catfish.
Rules already demand that inexperienced anglers have to attend a course before they can use the site's 'predator lakes' - and juniors are banned altogether.
However, the fishery owners have said that it is not all bad news. Because anglers will travel for miles to get the chance to catch this type of fish, the confirmation of their presence is good business.
A scheme to base a national school of angling, designed to give newcomers an introduction to fishing, is being introduced at Cudmore.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/stoke/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_9398000/9398683.stm
(Submitted by Michael Walters)
A leading anglers' centre in north Staffordshire has banned dogs from some of its lakes - for fear they will be seized by large fish.
Cudmore Fisheries issued the ban after netting a 7ft long catfish at its Adelaide predator pool.
The managing director at Cudmore, Cyril Brewster, said: "We were aware that the local mink population had shrunk to nothing - this could be the reason."
Cudmore hosts the high-profile national Fish O'Mania contest.
The giant catfish was caught in a stock-taking of the lake, which also contains pike and perch and more than 100 younger catfish.
The fish weighed 61lb (27.6kg), and was 7ft (2.1m) long, though what staff reported as a bigger one got away because their net could not hold it.
No dogs
The fishery said it now feels it has to ban dogs. Cyril Brewster told BBC Radio Stoke: "These cats are not little pussycats. No pets will be allowed in the fishing area. Even my wife's dog will not be allowed to swim in the lake."
He confirmed that catfish will also take birds and chicks. It is believed that wild mink diving into the lake to take small fish have also been seized by the predatory catfish.
Rules already demand that inexperienced anglers have to attend a course before they can use the site's 'predator lakes' - and juniors are banned altogether.
However, the fishery owners have said that it is not all bad news. Because anglers will travel for miles to get the chance to catch this type of fish, the confirmation of their presence is good business.
A scheme to base a national school of angling, designed to give newcomers an introduction to fishing, is being introduced at Cudmore.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/stoke/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_9398000/9398683.stm
(Submitted by Michael Walters)
Friday, 14 January 2011
Monster Cat-Killer Fox Caught in England
Jan 3, 2011 – 4:16 PM
Theunis Bates
Contributor
LONDON -- A supersized fox has been caught and killed in southeast England, raising fears that the red-furred critters could be getting bigger and bolder as they gorge themselves on urban leftovers.
The colossal canine weighed in at 26.5 pounds and measured 4 feet from the end of its nose to the tip of its tail -- twice the size of a normal fox. Veterinarian Keith Talbot caught the creature at his parents' suburban house in Maidstone on Dec. 26, after they told him a fox had gobbled up their 19-year-old pet cat, Amber.
"[Amber] was on the front doormat when [my parents] went to bed and they heard some commotion," he told Sky News. "They saw a fox going up the drive later on that night but didn't think anything of it. Later that morning they came out and there was fur and bits of the cat everywhere."
He set a trap at the property and on Christmas Day caught a regular 14-pound fox. The next night, he snared the bigger beast. Both animals were destroyed.
It was only when Talbot's friend Roy Lupton -- a veteran fox shooter -- turned up and weighed the animal that he realized he might have caught Britain's biggest fox. "I'm not against foxes; I think everything in nature has a place," he said, according to The Daily Mail. "But there is a limit, and when something like that happens and they start eating cats, it probably tells you that the balance of nature has been upset by humans feeding them and that it's time for controls to come in."
It's thought that the animal could have bulked up by dining on tasty scraps of food found in trashcans or left out by fox lovers.
"Foxes have a social system in which the alpha animal gets the food and the rest gets what's left over, so if there was a very big, dominant animal, the rest would get very little," Pat Morris, a zoologist formerly of Royal Holloway, University of London, told the London Times. "It might be that this was a particularly dominant animal which monopolized the food locally."
Some pro-hunting groups have claimed that the number of urban foxes has soared in recent years and that a cull is desperately needed. Their campaign received a boost in June, when a fox is believed to have attacked 9-month-old twin girls in their cots in east London.
Fox experts insist that unfortunate incident was a one off, and that most of the creatures are shy scavengers. And the University of Bristol's Mammal Group says that urban fox numbers are in fact stable at around 33,000. They note that foxes have simply become more visible and confident over the past decade, as the amount of scraps and trash left lying in the streets has increased.
If Brits want to see fewer big bad foxes strutting though their towns and cities, it seems they'll have to start tidying up after themselves.
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/03/monster-cat-killer-fox-caught-in-england/
(Submitted by Richard Freeman)
Theunis Bates
Contributor
LONDON -- A supersized fox has been caught and killed in southeast England, raising fears that the red-furred critters could be getting bigger and bolder as they gorge themselves on urban leftovers.
The colossal canine weighed in at 26.5 pounds and measured 4 feet from the end of its nose to the tip of its tail -- twice the size of a normal fox. Veterinarian Keith Talbot caught the creature at his parents' suburban house in Maidstone on Dec. 26, after they told him a fox had gobbled up their 19-year-old pet cat, Amber.
"[Amber] was on the front doormat when [my parents] went to bed and they heard some commotion," he told Sky News. "They saw a fox going up the drive later on that night but didn't think anything of it. Later that morning they came out and there was fur and bits of the cat everywhere."
He set a trap at the property and on Christmas Day caught a regular 14-pound fox. The next night, he snared the bigger beast. Both animals were destroyed.
It was only when Talbot's friend Roy Lupton -- a veteran fox shooter -- turned up and weighed the animal that he realized he might have caught Britain's biggest fox. "I'm not against foxes; I think everything in nature has a place," he said, according to The Daily Mail. "But there is a limit, and when something like that happens and they start eating cats, it probably tells you that the balance of nature has been upset by humans feeding them and that it's time for controls to come in."
It's thought that the animal could have bulked up by dining on tasty scraps of food found in trashcans or left out by fox lovers.
"Foxes have a social system in which the alpha animal gets the food and the rest gets what's left over, so if there was a very big, dominant animal, the rest would get very little," Pat Morris, a zoologist formerly of Royal Holloway, University of London, told the London Times. "It might be that this was a particularly dominant animal which monopolized the food locally."
Some pro-hunting groups have claimed that the number of urban foxes has soared in recent years and that a cull is desperately needed. Their campaign received a boost in June, when a fox is believed to have attacked 9-month-old twin girls in their cots in east London.
Fox experts insist that unfortunate incident was a one off, and that most of the creatures are shy scavengers. And the University of Bristol's Mammal Group says that urban fox numbers are in fact stable at around 33,000. They note that foxes have simply become more visible and confident over the past decade, as the amount of scraps and trash left lying in the streets has increased.
If Brits want to see fewer big bad foxes strutting though their towns and cities, it seems they'll have to start tidying up after themselves.
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/03/monster-cat-killer-fox-caught-in-england/
(Submitted by Richard Freeman)
Friday, 7 January 2011
Sushi bar owners buy giant tuna for $400,000
Source: AHN
Reporter: Windsor Genova
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Published: January 5, 2011 5:09 p.m. EST
Two sushi bar owners set the world record for the most expensive fresh fish Wednesday by jointly buying a giant bluefin tuna weighing 754 pounds for $390,262 at a Tokyo market.
Hong Kong-based Itamae Sushi chain owner Ricky Cheng and the owner of Tokyo’s Kyubey won the bidding for the fish in the first auction of the year on the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market, also known as Tsukiji market.
The price of the tuna caught off Toi in Hokkaido beat the previous record bid of $242,627 for a 445-pound tuna in the same market in 2001.
The same buyers, who beat Chinese bidders in the tuna auction, also bought the highest priced tuna last year and in 2009.
Tuna is popular among Japanese, who are the largest consumer of the said fish in the world.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7021288330?Sushi%20bar%20owners%20buy%20giant%20tuna%20for%20$400,000
Reporter: Windsor Genova
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Published: January 5, 2011 5:09 p.m. EST
Two sushi bar owners set the world record for the most expensive fresh fish Wednesday by jointly buying a giant bluefin tuna weighing 754 pounds for $390,262 at a Tokyo market.
Hong Kong-based Itamae Sushi chain owner Ricky Cheng and the owner of Tokyo’s Kyubey won the bidding for the fish in the first auction of the year on the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market, also known as Tsukiji market.
The price of the tuna caught off Toi in Hokkaido beat the previous record bid of $242,627 for a 445-pound tuna in the same market in 2001.
The same buyers, who beat Chinese bidders in the tuna auction, also bought the highest priced tuna last year and in 2009.
Tuna is popular among Japanese, who are the largest consumer of the said fish in the world.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7021288330?Sushi%20bar%20owners%20buy%20giant%20tuna%20for%20$400,000
Monster chub hands angler John Leyland a Bradford Number One hit on River Nidd
 | |
| Angler John Leyland shows off a huge chub of 7lb 4oz, which helped him win the Bradford Number One contest on the River Nidd at Cowthorpe |
A brace of chub weighing in at over a stone provided John Leyland with the match of a lifetime.
Drawn below the gauging hut, he topped the 30-peg Bradford Number One contest on the Nidd at Cowthorpe with a seven-fish haul of 32lb 3oz.
Offering waggler to the far-bank willow cover, he picked the monsters off on a double maggot offering.
A fish of 6lb 11oz is one to remember, but his amazing bag was topped off by a huge chub of 7lb 4oz.
The beast is possibly the largest chub ever landed in a match and equals the biggest ever banked in Yorkshire.
Runner-up Fred Prudham (Medlock Bridge) also had seven chub from two below the foot bridge.
His fish, which fell to stick and maggot, were of a more standard stamp and scaled 13lb 6oz.
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/sport/8777307.Monster_chub_hands_angler_John_Leyland_a_Bradford_Number_One_hit_on_River_Nidd/
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Monster Lobster Caught Off Miami Beach
Diver Needed Both Hands To Snag BugPOSTED: Sunday, September 12, 2010
UPDATED: 10:37 am EDT September 12, 2010
MIAMI BEACH, FL -- A lobster hunter made the catch of his life off Miami Beach.
He snagged a huge lobster that weighed in at more than 9 pounds.
The spiny lobster also measured more than 2 feet long.
Max Ramos caught the lobster.
He said he had to put it into a bear hug to get it into his boat.
http://www.justnews.com/news/24976305/detail.html
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
Peterborough man catches monster fish in Wisbech St Mary
RIGHT: Ian Stroud who landed the big catch at Willowcroft Fishery in Wisbech St MaryWednesday, 8 September, 2010
11:30 AM
A MAN from Peterborough caught this 62lb 4oz fish at Willowcroft Fishery in Wisbech St Mary.
Ian Stroud was photographed with his monster catch at the fishery in Seadyke Road.
http://www.wisbechstandard.co.uk/sport/peterborough_man_catches_monster_fish_in_wisbech_st_mary_1_633889
Monday, 23 August 2010
Dorset skipper nets a whopper from Mediterranean
Saturday, August 14, 2010A full scale bidding war erupted after a fisherman hauled in this rare 'meagre' fish – which is bigger than him.
The whopping sea beast measures an incredible 6ft 6ins and is the largest of its species ever caught off the British coast.
It was netted by fishing skipper Dave Wilson on board his boat Propitious off Portland Bill in Dorset.
Dave – who is under 6ft – showed it to experts who identified it as a meagre – normally found in the Mediterranean.
The massive fish was then taken to Brixham Fish Market in Devon where stunned merchants all tried to out bid each other.
It was eventually snapped up by fishmonger Robert Simonetti, who sold it on to a specialist restaurant in the north of England.
Robert, of Brixham-based Roberts fisheries, fought off six rival bidders and eventually paid £150 for the meagre.
He said: ''It's a very rare fish that's usually found in the Mediterranean. I think it must have got lost and luckily found its way to me.
''Only three of these have been caught in Britain since records began and this is by far the biggest so we're delighted.
''It's a white fish, a bit like sea bass, and I asked the merchant to cut it up so I could taste a bit because I had never actually tried it. It's great that it was caught by a local fisherman – we always like to see something different.
''I think it's quite a pretty fish. It's got silvery coloured big scales. It was difficult to say what it would be worth because we haven't got a track record.
''A few people bid for it. I probably would have paid up to £300 for it, even if I had to sell it on at cost price. It would have been worth it."
The whopping meagre is only the third caught off the UK since records began and the biggest ever snared off the UK.
It was so unusual that the Marine Management Organisation stepped in and asked for a day to enable them to establish the exact species.
Marine officer Beshlie Pool said: ''Dave phoned our office to see if it was something he could sell or not because it's a huge fish and he'd never seen one before. 'We were 90 per cent sure it was a meagre fish but we wanted a final identification from an expert.
"Meagre are rare in these waters although they're quite common in the Med. We think it was just randomly out of its range. Apparently, they taste really nice. They're quite a big thing in Turkey so next time I go, I'll make sure I have one."
The meagre fish – Latin name Argyrosomus regius – looks similar to a European seabass. They are silver with a yellow-coloured mouth and live near to coastal areas in the Mediterranean and Red Sea.
http://www.thisisdorset.co.uk/news/Dorset-skipper-nets-whopper-Med/article-2527118-detail/article.html
(Via Dark Dorset)
Friday, 16 July 2010
Big fish
15 July 2010 16:30 GMT
A British boy has caught the world's biggest goldfish.
The 2.27 kg fish was caught in a lake in Poole, Dorset, by 16-year-old Nick Richards, who was fishing for carp in the area.
He said: "I'd heard rumours there might be some big carp there and thought I'd see for myself. I was there for two days running and caught some big common carp. Then suddenly I saw this big orange fish cruising along the top of the lake.
"It wasn't too much trouble to reel it in. At first I thought it must be a really fat Koi carp, but when I saw it properly I realised it was a common goldfish - just like one you might keep as a pet."
http://entertainment.stv.tv/showbiz/187107-big-fish/
A British boy has caught the world's biggest goldfish.
The 2.27 kg fish was caught in a lake in Poole, Dorset, by 16-year-old Nick Richards, who was fishing for carp in the area.
He said: "I'd heard rumours there might be some big carp there and thought I'd see for myself. I was there for two days running and caught some big common carp. Then suddenly I saw this big orange fish cruising along the top of the lake.
"It wasn't too much trouble to reel it in. At first I thought it must be a really fat Koi carp, but when I saw it properly I realised it was a common goldfish - just like one you might keep as a pet."
http://entertainment.stv.tv/showbiz/187107-big-fish/
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Schoolgirl nets 9ft monster fish
Jessica Wanstall, from Sittingbourne, Kent, hooked the fish during a trip to Spain's River Ebro Photo: BNPS
Schoolgirl angler Jessica Wanstall netted a record when she hooked this monster fish that was more than twice the size of her.
Published: 6:30PM BST
15 Jul 2009
Jessica was nearly dragged into the water when the catfish weighing nearly 200lbs took her bait.
The plucky youngster spent 20 minutes fighting the beast and needed a helping hand from dad Mark to heave it out of the water.
At nearly 9ft long and weighing 13.7 stones, the impressive specimen dwarfed 11-year-old Jessica, who stands at 4ft 10ins and weighs 5.7 stones.
She is now broken the record for the biggest freshwater fish caught by a child in Europe.
Jessica, from Sittingbourne, Kent, hooked the fish during a trip to Spain's River Ebro.
She said: "I didn't realise just how big it was until I saw the photos afterwards. I look tiny next to it.
"My dad thought it was going to be a small one and I told him it didn't feel small when I picked up the rod.
"It was really hard work pulling it in and my arms turned to jelly. My dad helped lift it onto the bank and I stood back and just laughed when I saw it. It was massive."
The mutant fish tipped the scales at an impressive 193lbs.
Jessica is normally used to catching "tiddlers" and it was 13 times bigger than her previous record of a 15lbs carp fish.
It was 150lbs bigger than her 13-year-old brother Spencer's best catch and 10lbs greater than her dad's best effort in 40 years of fishing.
Mark, a 49-year-old engineer, said: "Jessica normally catches tiddlers but just loves a day's fishing.
"I have been to the River Ebro before but I took Jessica this time as a present.
"We were fishing for carp bit we obviously knew there were catfish in the river as well.
"Then she got a bite on her rod and she was off, going towards the water so I grabbed hold of her.
"As the fish got near we could see how big it was. Then its tail came out of the water and it looked like the Loch Ness Monster. Everybody in the bank was gasping.
"I'm so proud of her."
Mark, Jessica and family friend Gary Peet landed 51 catfish during their trip, but Jessica's was by far the biggest.
Their fishing guide Bodo Kunkel, who runs Bavarian Guildng Services on the River Ebro, said: "It was a large fish, much bigger than Jessica.
"She couldn't close her mouth afterwards, she was, how do you say, over the moon.
"She is the only child to have caught a freshwater fish that big in Spain and probably Europe."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5834754/Schoolgirl-nets-9ft-monster-fish.html
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Turtle will stand in for mythic creature
Associated Press
June 15, 2009, 3:11PM
CHURUBUSCO, Ind. — Crunch is no Beast of 'Busco, but he's a decent stand-in for a legendary snapping turtle purportedly the size of a rowboat.
The northeastern Indiana town of Churubusco is hosting a four-day festival this week in honor of the 60th anniversary of a big hunt for its beast.
Problem is, he hasn't been found. Ever.
That's where Crunch comes in. He's a 150-year-old, 170-pound alligator snapping turtle that will be on display instead in a 700-gallon aquarium from Wednesday through Saturday during the Turtle Days Festival.
The Beast of 'Busco has a name: Oscar, whose legend dates in various accounts to 1900. It was after reports of a sighting in 1949 that newspapers and wire services picked up on the story and hundreds of people beat a path to the town about 10 miles northwest of Fort Wayne to watch the hunt for the giant turtle.
Jim Guiff, 97, remembers the two-month turtle hunt well. He's lived since 1927 on property that borders Fulk Lake, the pond where Oscar was said to lurk. The turtle was named after Guiff's uncle, Oscar Fulk, who once owned the farm.
The 1949 hunt attracted a diver, professional trappers, zoo officials and airplane pilots who tried to spot Oscar from above, Guiff said.
"It caused a lot of publicity. We had newspapermen out here and radio people. People from Chicago and Indianapolis and all over," he said.
Gale Harris, the property's owner after Oscar Fulk, even drained the pond with pumps, but Oscar was never found.
"I was always suspicious about the turtle being as big as he was," Guiff said. "I used to hunt for snapping turtles when I was a kid, and I never saw them that big. I never disputed them, though, because maybe I was wrong."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/bizarre/6479717.html
June 15, 2009, 3:11PM
CHURUBUSCO, Ind. — Crunch is no Beast of 'Busco, but he's a decent stand-in for a legendary snapping turtle purportedly the size of a rowboat.
The northeastern Indiana town of Churubusco is hosting a four-day festival this week in honor of the 60th anniversary of a big hunt for its beast.
Problem is, he hasn't been found. Ever.
That's where Crunch comes in. He's a 150-year-old, 170-pound alligator snapping turtle that will be on display instead in a 700-gallon aquarium from Wednesday through Saturday during the Turtle Days Festival.
The Beast of 'Busco has a name: Oscar, whose legend dates in various accounts to 1900. It was after reports of a sighting in 1949 that newspapers and wire services picked up on the story and hundreds of people beat a path to the town about 10 miles northwest of Fort Wayne to watch the hunt for the giant turtle.
Jim Guiff, 97, remembers the two-month turtle hunt well. He's lived since 1927 on property that borders Fulk Lake, the pond where Oscar was said to lurk. The turtle was named after Guiff's uncle, Oscar Fulk, who once owned the farm.
The 1949 hunt attracted a diver, professional trappers, zoo officials and airplane pilots who tried to spot Oscar from above, Guiff said.
"It caused a lot of publicity. We had newspapermen out here and radio people. People from Chicago and Indianapolis and all over," he said.
Gale Harris, the property's owner after Oscar Fulk, even drained the pond with pumps, but Oscar was never found.
"I was always suspicious about the turtle being as big as he was," Guiff said. "I used to hunt for snapping turtles when I was a kid, and I never saw them that big. I never disputed them, though, because maybe I was wrong."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/bizarre/6479717.html
Friday, 27 February 2009
GIANT STINGRAY PICTURE: Largest Freshwater Fish?
February 24, 2009--Fishers and scientists announced this week the catch, and release, of what is likely the world's largest known freshwater giant stingray. The giant stingray, weighing an estimated 550 to 990 pounds (250 to 450 kilograms) was reeled in on January 28, 2009, as part of a National Geographic expedition in Thailand.
The stingray's body measured 6.6 feet (2 meters) wide by 6.9 feet (2.1) meters long. The tail was missing. If it had been there, the ray's total length would have been between 14.8 and 16.4 feet (4.5 and 5 meters), estimated University of Nevada Biologist Zeb Hogan.
Hogan was in Thailand searching for giant fish as part of the Megafishes Project — an effort to document Earth's 20 or so freshwater giants.
The new find gives Hogan hope that the giant stingray, once overfished, may be more abundant than previously thought. And it may confirm the giant stingray as the heavyweight champ of the Megafishes Project.
"Honestly, we just don't know how much it weighed. But it's clear that the giant stingray has the potential to be the largest freshwater fish in the world," said Hogan, also a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. (National Geographic News is owned by the National Geographic Society.)
"The Thai populations were once considered critically endangered, although with the discovery of new populations the stingray's abundance appears higher than previously believed," added Hogan. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently lists the freshwater giant stingray as vulnerable.
Last March Hogan found a 14-foot-long (4.3-meter-long) ray near the Thai city of Chachoengsao. (See previous giant stingray news and video.)
Freshwater giant stingrays are among the largest of the approximately 200 species of rays. They can be found in a handful of rivers in Southeast Asia and northern Australia.
Much is still unknown about the mammoth ray species, including whether or not it can swim out to and survive at sea. The species was first described scientifically only in 1989.
Hogan and his colleagues are still looking for new varieties and populations of the giant stingray.
--Tasha Eichenseher
Photograph: Zeb Hogan
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/090226-giant-stringray-picture-missions.html
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Best Beware Thy Stingray
by Vera H-C Chan
February 25, 2009 12:13:42 PM
A record-breaking stingray capture, by the numbers:
Such creatures are dangerous, of course: Famed Australian TV personality Steve "Crocodile Hunter" Irwin died from a stingray barb at the Great Barrier Reef in 2006.
The numbers currently put one Ian Welch on the world record books. (Pictures of Welch posing with his female companion can be found here.) The stingray's resistance nearly dunked Welch into the river, and he was literally saved by the seat of his pants when a crewmate grabbed his trousers.
Another reason that this marine fish is so huge: She's pregnant. (Cue soap-opera gasp.) After she had been towed to the bank (too big to be onboard the boat), she was duly marked, had DNA samples removed, and returned to the river whence she unwillingly came. Welch gave her a farewell smooch, then spent the rest of the day with a cold beer and memories of her.
By the way, one number isn't known: the exact stingray population count, which has shrunk 20 percent in the past decade. With this lady's help, at least one more will be added to this number...and with a tale to tell.
February 25, 2009 12:13:42 PM
A record-breaking stingray capture, by the numbers:
- 1 rod and line
- 90 minutes for one British biologist (with help) to reel in the freshwater fish
- 13 men to drag said fish onto a boat
- 125 pounds—that's the difference between the stingray's weight at 771 pounds and the previous record rod-&-reel capture of a catfish
Such creatures are dangerous, of course: Famed Australian TV personality Steve "Crocodile Hunter" Irwin died from a stingray barb at the Great Barrier Reef in 2006.
The numbers currently put one Ian Welch on the world record books. (Pictures of Welch posing with his female companion can be found here.) The stingray's resistance nearly dunked Welch into the river, and he was literally saved by the seat of his pants when a crewmate grabbed his trousers.
Another reason that this marine fish is so huge: She's pregnant. (Cue soap-opera gasp.) After she had been towed to the bank (too big to be onboard the boat), she was duly marked, had DNA samples removed, and returned to the river whence she unwillingly came. Welch gave her a farewell smooch, then spent the rest of the day with a cold beer and memories of her.
By the way, one number isn't known: the exact stingray population count, which has shrunk 20 percent in the past decade. With this lady's help, at least one more will be added to this number...and with a tale to tell.
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
British angler lands monster stingray in Thailand
Steven Morris guardian.co.uk
Tuesday 24 February 2009 13.35 GMT
Catch weighing up to 350kg could be the largest freshwater fish ever caught by rod and line
A British angler – with a dozen helpers – has landed what could be the biggest freshwater fish ever caught with a rod and line, it emerged today.
The giant freshwater stingray, weighing as much as 350kg (772lbs, or about 55 stone), was the size of a garden shed and so cumbersome that Ian Welch had to enlist the aid of 12 other people to get it out of the water.
Welch, a professional fisherman, biologist and columnist for the magazine Angler's Mail, was visiting Thailand to help with a stingray tagging programme when he landed the monster in the Maeklong river. The 45-year-old said he was nearly pulled over the side of the boat when the specimen took his bait.
He said: "It dragged me across the boat and would have pulled me in had my colleague not grabbed my trousers – it was like the whole earth had just moved. I knew it was going to a big one.
"It buried itself on the bottom and the main fight was trying to get it off the floor. I tried with every ounce of power but it just would not budge. After half an hour my arms began shaking and after an hour my legs went. Another 30 minutes went by and then I put a glove on and physically pulled the line with gritted teeth and somehow I found the reserves to shift the fish."
Once the stingray was off the bottom, Welch, who weighs a relatively modest 73kg, managed to lift it to the surface relatively easily.
"As soon as we saw it there was just silence because everyone was just in awe of this thing," he said. "That line from the film Jaws came to mind about needing a bigger boat because we had to get it to the shore to tag it."
The group managed to put a large net under the fish and towed it to the bank. Welch, from Aldershot, Hampshire, said: "It took 13 people to lift it into a large paddling pool we had set up in order to tag it and take DNA samples.
"I was absolutely exhausted afterwards and did very little for the rest of the day and just had a cold beer. As a life-long angler and a biologist it is great that my two passions have come together and culminated in something I could only have dreamed of."
The female stingray was about 2 metres (7ft) long and the same width, and its tail measured about 3 metres (10ft). From its measurements it was calculated that it weighed at least 265kg, and possibly up to 350kg.
Its venomous barb had to be wrapped in cloth while it was out of the water. Once it was tagged the fish was released back into the river. Welch said he swam out with the fish and kissed it goodbye.
Angler's Mail has billed Welch's specimen as probably the largest freshwater fish fully authenticated as caught by rod and line.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/24/stingray-catch-thailand-fishing
Tuesday 24 February 2009 13.35 GMT
Catch weighing up to 350kg could be the largest freshwater fish ever caught by rod and line
A British angler – with a dozen helpers – has landed what could be the biggest freshwater fish ever caught with a rod and line, it emerged today.
The giant freshwater stingray, weighing as much as 350kg (772lbs, or about 55 stone), was the size of a garden shed and so cumbersome that Ian Welch had to enlist the aid of 12 other people to get it out of the water.
Welch, a professional fisherman, biologist and columnist for the magazine Angler's Mail, was visiting Thailand to help with a stingray tagging programme when he landed the monster in the Maeklong river. The 45-year-old said he was nearly pulled over the side of the boat when the specimen took his bait.
He said: "It dragged me across the boat and would have pulled me in had my colleague not grabbed my trousers – it was like the whole earth had just moved. I knew it was going to a big one.
"It buried itself on the bottom and the main fight was trying to get it off the floor. I tried with every ounce of power but it just would not budge. After half an hour my arms began shaking and after an hour my legs went. Another 30 minutes went by and then I put a glove on and physically pulled the line with gritted teeth and somehow I found the reserves to shift the fish."
Once the stingray was off the bottom, Welch, who weighs a relatively modest 73kg, managed to lift it to the surface relatively easily.
"As soon as we saw it there was just silence because everyone was just in awe of this thing," he said. "That line from the film Jaws came to mind about needing a bigger boat because we had to get it to the shore to tag it."
The group managed to put a large net under the fish and towed it to the bank. Welch, from Aldershot, Hampshire, said: "It took 13 people to lift it into a large paddling pool we had set up in order to tag it and take DNA samples.
"I was absolutely exhausted afterwards and did very little for the rest of the day and just had a cold beer. As a life-long angler and a biologist it is great that my two passions have come together and culminated in something I could only have dreamed of."
The female stingray was about 2 metres (7ft) long and the same width, and its tail measured about 3 metres (10ft). From its measurements it was calculated that it weighed at least 265kg, and possibly up to 350kg.
Its venomous barb had to be wrapped in cloth while it was out of the water. Once it was tagged the fish was released back into the river. Welch said he swam out with the fish and kissed it goodbye.
Angler's Mail has billed Welch's specimen as probably the largest freshwater fish fully authenticated as caught by rod and line.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/24/stingray-catch-thailand-fishing
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Giant fish washes up on English coast
LONDON (AFP) – A three-metre (10-foot) long oarfish was discovered by a member of the public in Tynemouth, northeastern England, on Tuesday.The perfectly-preserved oarfish, the longest species of bony fish, would be taken to a nearby aquarium where scientists will try to determine how it died.
Oarfish can measure up to eight metres in length, though there have been reports of individual oarfish measuring up to twice that, Blue Reef Aquarium said in a press release.
According to aquarium curator Zahra d'Aronville, Tuesday's find was only the fourth such specimen to have been recorded since 1981.
Oarfish are found throughout the deep seas of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, usually at a depth of 180 metres (600 feet). Their diet typically consists of plankton, small crustaceans and small squid.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090224/od_afp/britainanimalsea
Monday, 23 February 2009
Borneo's 100ft snake stretches the truth
20 February 2009
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2009. All rights reserved
An impossibly long serpent has been spotted in Borneo, prompting the question: What are your favourite examples of picture fakery?
The Daily Telegraph reports today that a 100ft (30m) snake has been spotted lurking in a river in Borneo, "sparking great concern among local communities".
The photograph used to corroborate this story shows a wiggly snake-like object (as drawn by a pre-school child with their first green felt tip) creating a suspicious amount of wash as it rips through the Baleh river.
An unnamed member of an unnamed disaster team monitoring flood regions on the South East Asian island allegedly captured the image while hovering over the Baleh river in a helicopter.
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2009/feb/20/borneo-100ft-snake-stretches-truth
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2009. All rights reserved
An impossibly long serpent has been spotted in Borneo, prompting the question: What are your favourite examples of picture fakery?
The Daily Telegraph reports today that a 100ft (30m) snake has been spotted lurking in a river in Borneo, "sparking great concern among local communities".
The photograph used to corroborate this story shows a wiggly snake-like object (as drawn by a pre-school child with their first green felt tip) creating a suspicious amount of wash as it rips through the Baleh river.
An unnamed member of an unnamed disaster team monitoring flood regions on the South East Asian island allegedly captured the image while hovering over the Baleh river in a helicopter.
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2009/feb/20/borneo-100ft-snake-stretches-truth
Police officers capture giant pet
Police in Kent have captured a giant runaway rabbit after it was spotted in the middle of a busy road in Canterbury in the early hours of Sunday. It took several failed attempts before two police officers took off their coats to stage a bullfighting manoeuvre on the lost pet.
Kent Police said several passers-by were needed to help capture the bunny who has been nicknamed Tiny.
Pcs Matt Jackson and Yasmin Mossadegh spotted the animal in Northgate.
A spokeswoman for Kent Police said that Pc Jackson "hopped to it when his colleague confirmed it was not a figment of his imagination".
Rabbit rescue squad
"Kind-hearted, pet-loving" members of the public came to the officers' assistance when they saw them struggling. It eventually took 10 pairs of hands to end the rabbit's time on the run, she added.
The rabbit rescue squad pursued the animal down the road before it was detained.
It was taken to the Barton animal hospital in New Dover Road, Canterbury, for collection by the RSPCA.
It is still not known where the rabbit came from, the spokeswoman said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7905614.stm
Giant rat caught in China
A giant rat with one-inch-long teeth has been caught in the southern Chinese province of Fujian. By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai
Last Updated: 12:36PM GMT 18 Feb 2009
The rat, which weighed six pounds and had a 12-inch tail, was caught at the weekend in a residential area of Fuzhou, a city of six million people on China's south coast.
The ratcatcher, who was only named as Mr Xian, said he swooped for the rodent after seeing a big crowd of people surrounding it on the street.
He told local Chinese newspapers that he thought the rat might be a valuable specimen, or a rare species, and had to muster up his courage before grabbing its tail and picking it up by the scruff of its neck.
"I did it, I caught a rat the size of a cat!" he shouted out afterwards, according to the reports. Mr Xian is believed to still be in possession of the animal, after stuffing into a bag and departing the scene.
The local forestry unit in the city identified the nightmarish creature as a bamboo rat from initial photographs, but said that it would need to examine the rat more closely before making a final identification.
Chinese bamboo rats rarely grow beyond ten inches and are found throughout southern China, northern Burma and Vietnam.
However, the Sumatra bamboo rat, usually found in the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan and in the Malay Peninsula can grow up to 30 inches long, including tail, and can weigh up to eight pounds.
A "Giant Rat of Sumatra" is mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes tale: The Adventure of a Sussex Vampire.
All bamboo rats are slow-moving and usually spend their time in underground burrows, feeding on bamboo. Chinese bamboo rats are often sold for meat in Chinese markets. The largest rats in the world are thought to be African giant pouched rats, which can grow up to 36 inches in length.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/4688453/Giant-rat-caught-in-China.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
