A fisherman was able to land a massive and extraordinary catch while fishing through River Po's murky waters. More specifically, the angler was able to catch a 9.4-foot-long catfish, which has now broken world records for being the largest ever found.
Massive 9.4-foot-long Catfish
Italian pro angler Alessandro Biancardi reels in the catch of a lifetime! His 9 foot Catfish catch is pending an IGFA... Posted by Boaters List on Friday, June 9, 2023
According to Live Science, Italian angler Alessandro Biancardi explained in a statement that when the catfish surfaced, it was like he reeled in a monster. He adds that he faced the largest catfish that he has ever witnessed in the past 23 years.
Per Fox Weather, Biancardi expressed that things started as a normal fishing day. Biancardi went to Italy's River Po and, before leaving, examined the hooks, knots, and every other connection.
While riding the boat, Biancardi noted that the water levels started dropping following a massive flood. He then opted to use a spinning technique for fishing as he cast his hook into the murky waters.
A strong bite was felt after casting a few times. Biancardi notes that the fish was still for a few seconds before a tug of war complicated by submerged obstacles and strong currents took place. He followed the fish for around 40 minutes before the creature finally submerged. It was then that Biancardi realized that he had reeled in a "monster" of some sort.
He then tied the fish to the boat for the creature to recover. However, he realized that the boat was sailing away because of the current as it was not anchored. Hence, he had to take a swim to recover everything.
Shortly after, he notified his friend to let others know what he encountered in the waters. As the fish was being measured, the meter stopped at a whopping 285 centimeters, or nine feet and four inches.
After the catfish was measured and documented, Biancardi safely released the creature back into the water.
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Record-Breaking Catfish
Live Science reports that this new 9.4-foot-long catch beats earlier world records for the largest wels catfish that has ever been caught. It is just 1.6 inches bigger than the previous record-holder.
Interestingly, the previous record-holder was discovered just two months earlier, on April 12. It was also pulled from the River Po. This runner-up catfish was found to be 9.2 feet long.
Wels Catfish in River Po
Per Larsson, a visiting professor from Sweden's Linnaeus University who studies predatory fish, explains that wels catfish were first introduced to the river in 2000. When such a species is introduced to a suitable and new environment, its growth tends to be high.
Professor Larsson has been examining populations of wels catfish in their northern habitats in Sweden. In such areas, the growth rates of these animals are slower compared to southern areas due to lower temperatures. A suitable environment, an abundance of food, and higher temperatures could all contribute to the size of the huge fish.
However, Italy's River Po is drying up due to snowfall declines that typically replenish the river during the summer. It remains unclear how drought may affect the population of wels catfish. Nevertheless, the introduced fish species could do better compared to the Adriatic sturgeon, which has almost been fully eradicated.
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