BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?

Subject: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 08:10 PM

Oh dear, oh dear! - someone has been bringing Catfish into disrepute - read this story from Tuesday's (English)Guardian:

Lake fear

A giant catfish dubbed Hannibal the Cannibal - because it regurgitated 57 fish when it was caught - has been removed to stop it wrecking a West Sussex lake's ecosystem.

Environment agency officials confessed to being extremely surprised by the catch - the 5ft Wels catfish is not a British fish and should not have been there.

Staff had been routinely netting in Shillinglee Lake, near Billingshurst, West Sussex, to assess fish stocks when Hannibal was caught. Europe's largest freshwater species, the Wels catfish does live in the Rhine but is normally from the warmer waters of southern Europe.

It is a fierce predator and can eat ducks and small mammals. Hannibal weighed 15lb but the European record is 62lb.

Officials feared Hannibal would clear the 30-acre lake of fish if it reached its full potential length of 16ft. The 57 roach and bream it had eaten just before it was caught compare with the average four fish found in the stomach of large pike.

It is believed that someone with an unwanted pet, or an angler who relished catching the fish, which is "extremely powerful and puts up a huge fight", had released it in the lake illegally. The environment agency spokesman said the catfish had been "wreaking havoc, chomping through fish stocks and upsetting the natural ecological balance".

Last night Hannibal was in the Sea Life Centre in Brighton, where he or she has been "rehomed". Catfish can only be kept if the owner has a licence.

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: The Sugar Dog (inactive)
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 08:40 PM

Yeah, but at least he had a name, eh?

*G*

~Susan

(Ya know-- me, Susan)

(Hi Bill!)

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 09:00 PM

From the title, I thought Max had peed on the carpet.

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: GUEST,bert
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 09:05 PM

he did

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: rangeroger
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 09:10 PM

McGrath, could that weight have been 150 lbs instead of 15? It doesn't seem like a 5 foot catfish that ate 57 other fish would only weigh 15 lbs. The 62 lbs for the European record would probably be 620 lbs.That sounds about right from what I've seen of catfish records.

I guess your new spell checker doesn't catch numerical typos. BG!

rr

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 09:48 PM

kilos, maybe?

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 12:38 PM

I think that's about right for the Danubian Wels (the official figures, not the ones here withthe added zero). THe WEls was officially introduced into a few lakes here and also a few rivers int he late 60s or earlly 70s, as was teh Zander (or Pike-Perch). Sizes at that tiem were expected to go to about 30 pounds for the Wels. Fisherman's tales of large Zander persisted for a while.

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: MMario
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 12:45 PM

5 feet long and only 15 lbs? projected length of 16 feet and max weight of 62 lbs? something isn't right...

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 12:46 PM

Anorexic and bulimic maybe...

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: MMario
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 12:53 PM

gorge and purge? would explain the 57 helpings of sushi.

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 12:54 PM

I want to know how they found out that it will eat small mammals!

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Irish sergeant
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 03:07 PM

Hopefully because it devoured my former employer. Does rat bastard constitute a small mammal? I have to agree that 150 lbs sound more likely and I thought stevie could eat! Kindest reguards, Neil

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Bert
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 03:50 PM

Get the facts

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 04:06 PM

They're talking about our Spaw, aren't they?

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: MMario
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 04:18 PM

Does 'spaw have albino specimens?

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 04:21 PM

You had to ask, didn't you? Surprising, I thought Cletus or Spaw would have made an appearance on this thread by now. Shall we BAIT them????

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 04:26 PM

But would he have access to a computer in the Brighton Sea Life Centre?

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 04:44 PM

And now Essex has an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease. Is Mother Nature fighting back?

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Sorcha
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 04:48 PM

Photos here......

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 05:10 PM

Poor old guy. Why couldn't they leave him alone? Or at least throw him back after catching him?

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 05:17 PM

"It is believed that they do not breed until the water temperatures reach 20*C., but they can survive in much colder water." - from Sorcha's link. Global warming strikes again...

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 05:19 PM

I remember very clearly that when the Wels was first introduced here in the wild in the 60s the plan was that the UK being colder than the Danube, and the lakes being enclosed waters, they would grow smaller than on the continent.

Looks like the plan was wrong.

Now waht about the Zander...?

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Sorcha
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 05:24 PM

I also found another spot somewhere that said the Wels either already are or going to be protected in the Netherlands........I don't plan on swimming there, I don't think.

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 06:28 PM

Don't fancy being kissed by a man with whiskers, Sorcha?

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Sorcha
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 06:34 PM

SINSULL, cats is OK, HUmens with whiskers is OK, fish is sometimes OK, but I don't fancy being swallowed whole by a giant catfish.......(only noticed that loverly syntax above after I hit submit......)These guys apparently get truly humongous!! Sort of like the "Legend of the Catfish at the Base of the Dam"........the ones that eat divers....uuuuggghhh. Catfishes is nasty. (Sorry Max, the logo is cute, tho)

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 07:08 PM

All the makings of a fifth rate horror movie - an aged band of balding, gravity prone folk singers camp by a lake. Late that night one or two sneak away to skinny-dip when..."Bum Bum Bum Bum..." Gosh, we have at least five cantankerous sea captains to choose from and more than a few police officers. This could get ugly. And the title? "Whisker Lickin' Good" or ...well?

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: WyoWoman
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 08:12 PM

Oh,, thank god. I've been gone for a while and thought maybe the Mudcat had started a confessional. I certainly would hate to have to tell about that time I ... well ...

nivver mind

WW

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 08:45 PM

Hi WW. You've been missed. When will we hear you on Paltalk? Have you been naughty or nice? Inquiring minds want to know.

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 21 Feb 01 - 09:05 PM

It brings a whole new meaning to the old Monty Python skit: "I'd like to buy a license for my pet fish, Erik, uh, Hannibal."

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: GUEST,SINSULL
Date: 22 Feb 01 - 08:51 PM

YIKES! The Mississippi cats are HUGE also! But I'd never hold one and look so joyful as the man in the pic! :o)

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL
Date: 22 Feb 01 - 09:19 PM

Not me folks. (above) And I don't get it????

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Sorcha
Date: 22 Feb 01 - 09:34 PM

My link had a photo of a man holding a very large Wels...you have to scroll down a bit to see it. Wonder who that really was?

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL
Date: 22 Feb 01 - 09:49 PM

And what does Mississippi mean???? Curiouser and curiouser...

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Sorcha
Date: 22 Feb 01 - 09:51 PM

MARY!! Wake UP!! The Miss is this really big river, right smack dab in the middle of the United States (I do realize that is a long ways from NYC--grin) and the Ole Miss does grow some mighty big catfish........

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL
Date: 22 Feb 01 - 09:58 PM

And in the immortal words of Homer Simpson: "DOH!" A senior moment. Sorry.

Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Sorcha
Date: 22 Feb 01 - 10:14 PM

s'OK, honey. We all get 'em, (*sg*)