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BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?

20 Feb 01 - 08:10 PM (#402568)
Subject: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: McGrath of Harlow

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.

20 Feb 01 - 08:40 PM (#402589)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: The Sugar Dog (inactive)

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

*G*

~Susan

(Ya know-- me, Susan)

(Hi Bill!)

20 Feb 01 - 09:00 PM (#402602)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL

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

20 Feb 01 - 09:05 PM (#402607)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: GUEST,bert

he did

20 Feb 01 - 09:10 PM (#402610)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: rangeroger

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

20 Feb 01 - 09:48 PM (#402625)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL

kilos, maybe?

21 Feb 01 - 12:38 PM (#402856)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Richard Bridge

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.

21 Feb 01 - 12:45 PM (#402865)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: MMario

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

21 Feb 01 - 12:46 PM (#402868)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL

Anorexic and bulimic maybe...

21 Feb 01 - 12:53 PM (#402880)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: MMario

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

21 Feb 01 - 12:54 PM (#402882)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Mrrzy

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

21 Feb 01 - 03:07 PM (#403029)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Irish sergeant

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

21 Feb 01 - 03:50 PM (#403077)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Bert

Get the facts

21 Feb 01 - 04:06 PM (#403090)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL

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

21 Feb 01 - 04:18 PM (#403103)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: MMario

Does 'spaw have albino specimens?

21 Feb 01 - 04:21 PM (#403106)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL

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????

21 Feb 01 - 04:26 PM (#403114)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: McGrath of Harlow

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

21 Feb 01 - 04:44 PM (#403132)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL

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

21 Feb 01 - 04:48 PM (#403135)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Sorcha

Photos here......

21 Feb 01 - 05:10 PM (#403152)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL

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

21 Feb 01 - 05:17 PM (#403159)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: McGrath of Harlow

"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...

21 Feb 01 - 05:19 PM (#403161)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Richard Bridge

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...?

21 Feb 01 - 05:24 PM (#403167)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Sorcha

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.

21 Feb 01 - 06:28 PM (#403232)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL

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

21 Feb 01 - 06:34 PM (#403238)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Sorcha

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)

21 Feb 01 - 07:08 PM (#403268)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL

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?

21 Feb 01 - 08:12 PM (#403316)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: WyoWoman

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

21 Feb 01 - 08:45 PM (#403332)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL

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

21 Feb 01 - 09:05 PM (#403345)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Jim Dixon

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."

22 Feb 01 - 08:51 PM (#404193)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: GUEST,SINSULL

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

22 Feb 01 - 09:19 PM (#404214)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL

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

22 Feb 01 - 09:34 PM (#404230)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Sorcha

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?

22 Feb 01 - 09:49 PM (#404250)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL

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

22 Feb 01 - 09:51 PM (#404256)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Sorcha

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........

22 Feb 01 - 09:58 PM (#404265)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: SINSULL

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

22 Feb 01 - 10:14 PM (#404280)
Subject: RE: BS: Who's been a naughty Catfish?
From: Sorcha

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