For many fishermen, a trip to the pond is meant to be a relaxing escape from the daily grind. It’s also a great excuse to crush a couple cans of Pabst and engage in aimless banter with friends. For others, putting line in water is all about hunting the elusive ‘big one,’ a proverbial monster fish whose catching can be retold and exaggerated for years to come.
On May 30, at some time around noon, a fisherman in Shenzhen was treated to an encounter with a story-worthy fish, when he caught a 1-meter-long alligator gar in the Buji River.
Details on the capture of the fish are hazy and a report by Shenzhen News neglects to mention how the fish was brought ashore and who did the angling.
What we do know is that it reportedly took several men to remove the fish from the river (you’d put up a fight too if someone was trying to drag you from your home) and that it was dead by the time Mr. Chen, the witness quoted in virtually all articles related to the catch, arrived on the scene to photograph it.
Chen was jogging by the river when he stumbled across the deceased alligator gar and stated the fisherman told him it “was not edible and not suitable for living in the river.” (This is incorrect, alligator gar meat is edible, although their eggs are highly toxic to humans.)
The discovery of an alligator gar in Shenzhen waters is unexpected, as the species is native to the southern United States and northern Mexico. Although the animal has been found as an invasive species in Hong Kong, Singapore and parts of India in the past (presumably released by aquarium hobbyists), this marks the first known time the fish has been found in Shenzhen.
Alligator gar have roamed the fresh and brackish waters of our planet since the time of the dinosaurs, with fossil evidence suggesting the animal has been around since the Early Cretaceous, over a 100 million years ago.
The torpedo-shaped fish species, which can grow to over 8 feet in length, allegedly derives its name its alligator-like snout, which is lined with long terror-inducing teeth.
[Images via Shenzhen News]
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