Some say this fisherman has caught a once in a lifetime red emperor. If that.
Ed Falconer, a charter operator caught this 22-kilogram red emperor off Rainbow Beach, Queensland late last week. While the fish might look actually appetizing to some, Falconer says that he will be donating it in the name of science.
After 20 minutes of wrestling with the fish, he was finally able to reel onto the boat, what he thought to be an ordinary fish. After measuring it at 104 centimeters long, they realized that this was no ordinary catch.
Falconer said that the closest he has ever come to this record was when he caught a 19kg fish. “We often get 8kg, 10kg, 12 kg… but that one is a definite freak. It’s a once in a lifetime thing.”
Some may have immediately battered and fried the fish, however, Falconer decided to donate it to the Queensland Fisheries, in order for the scientists to work out how the fish managed to live for such a long time.
But before the studies start, Falconer has decided to freeze it, and have a taxidermist get it mounted. Afterward, it will be donated to science.
Despite having fished in the same waters for over 30 years, Falconer had no idea what fish he was fishing for. First, he thought he was dealing with a big cod, instead of a red emperor, based on the way it was fighting back.
Jeff Johnson, a fish expert from the Queensland museum has also confirmed that this case of the red emperor is “extremely noteworthy”, and the last time such girth and weight have been recorded in a book was back in 1962, where a red emperor of similar measurements was recorded.
For now, Queensland Fisheries are on the lookout and Falconer confirmed that “They would be interested in trying to determine how old the fish was.”
If you find the underwater world as intriguing as Falconer, you would definitely be interested in staying in this posh Australian hotel with underwater rooms.
