ANIMALS

British Angler Caught Huge 67-Pound Goldfish in the World

Many people are drawn to fishing as a fascinating hobby. Those who enjoy it spend hours at riversides, waiting patiently to catch fish. This pastime lets fishermen practice their patience and brings excitement when they successfully reel in fish. In England, a fisherman achieved something remarkable – he caught an enormous goldfish weighing 67 pounds. This catch can potentially break the world record for the most giant goldfish ever seen.

One day, Andy Hackett felt lucky when he landed a very special fish. The British angler struggled for 25 minutes while fishing at Bluewater Lakes in Champagne, France. When he spotted a flash of orange in the water, he immediately realized that he had captured “The Carrot,” a legendary big goldfish.

Image source: Jason Cowler

“I always knew The Carrot was in there but never thought I would catch it,” Hackett raved after the catch, according to the Daily Mail.

“I knew it was a big fish when it took my bait and went off side to side and up and down with it. Then it came to the surface 30 or 40 yards out, and I saw that it was orange. It was brilliant to catch it, but it was also sheer luck.”

Image source: Jason Cowler

Hackett explained to the BBC that because of The Carrot’s bright color, it might be easier to overlook other fish. However, catching The Carrot was still quite a challenge. It’s a fish that many seek to catch, but few succeed – it’s quite tricky to find. Hackett mentioned that even though The Carrot is a slow swimmer, it’s still elusive.

After celebrating the catch with a cup of tea, Hackett released The Carrot back into Bluewater Lakes.

Image source: Jason Cowler

Carrot, who has lived in the lake since she was a young fish, is around 20 years old. She’s spent more than two decades swimming in this lake. The goldfish’s history dates back to when she was first released as a small fish by fishery manager Jason Cowler.

“We put The Carrot in about 20 years ago as something different for the customers to fish for,” Cowler told the Daily Mail. “Since then it has grown and grown but it doesn’t often come out. She is very elusive.”

Image source: Jason Cowler

Cowler added: “She is in excellent health and condition. Congratulations to Andy on a great catch.”

The Carrot is indeed quite an impressive discovery. As reported by the Daily Mail, this fish from France could possibly be the largest goldfish ever caught. It weighs 30 pounds more than a goldfish that Jason Fugate caught in Minnesota back in 2019, and it’s more than twice the size of an orange carp that Raphael Biagini caught in France in 2010.

The typical weight of pet goldfish usually falls between 0.2 and 0.6 pounds. However, when these brightly colored fish are set free in nature, they can grow to immense sizes. But releasing pet goldfish into the wild is not a good practice.

In contrast to The Carrot, which was intentionally released in a controlled fishery, many goldfish are abandoned in ponds and lakes by their owners. The concerning part is that such released goldfish have caused problems in water bodies in the United States. While these fish can adapt to tough conditions and keep growing, their habit of stirring up sediment while foraging for food on the lake floor can harm native plants. This highlights the need for goldfish owners to be aware of these potential issues.

Please don’t release your pet goldfish into ponds and lakes! They grow bigger than you think and contribute to poor water quality by mucking up the bottom sediments and uprooting plants.
Groups of these large goldfish were recently found in Keller Lake. pic.twitter.com/Zmya2Ql1E2

— City of Burnsville (@BurnsvilleMN) July 9, 2021

Well, with that being said, there aren’t many goldfish similar to The Carrot. But for those who want to spot this huge and hard-to-find goldfish, or maybe even try to catch it, patience is key. The BBC reports that there’s currently a waitlist of five years to visit Bluewater Lakes.

ANIMALS

Amazing Video of Unseen Ocean Creatures in the Ningaloo Canyons

The Schmidt Ocean Institute recently explored the Ningaloo Canyons on the western coast of Australia using a robotic underwater vehicle called the ROV Sebastian. Check out the amazing video of what they discovered in the deep parts of the Indian Ocean.

More info: Youtube

ANIMALS

These Pics Are Art and the Artists Are Insects

Flying insects move so quickly that they are hard to follow, but new technology and some smart ideas have helped Spanish photographer Xavi Bou do just that. After spending 10 years focusing on birds in flight for his Ornithographies project, he turned his attention to insects.

For Entomographies, he uses high-speed video footage taken by Adrian Smith, an insect expert at North Carolina State University, to study and record how insects move. Bou then picks multiple frames and combines them into single images that show the fast movements of one or more insects through space and time.

With Smith’s help, Bou has captured the aerial tricks of wasps, the jumps of leafhoppers, and the fluttering of butterflies in amazing detail. He hopes that by doing this, he can make people more aware of the decline in important insect populations around the world.

1. Zebra longwing

This butterfly, which is common in many areas of the Americas, really fits its name. It can fly very high with just a few flaps of its large wings.