British biologist catches 55 stone, record-breaking stingray
A British biologist has landed a 55 stone stingray - the
biggest freshwater fish ever caught using a rod.
Ian Welch spent 90 minutes tussling with the giant stingray and
it took 13 grown men to heave it out of the water.
This fish measured 7ft long and 7ft wide, while its long sting
measured 10ft
It has smashed the previous record of 46 stone for a huge
catfish caught in 2005.
Mr Welch, a freshwater biologist, had been visiting Thailand to
help with a stingray tagging programme when he landed the fish on
the Maeklong River.
The 45-year-old said he was nearly pulled over the side of the
fishing boat when the specimen took his bait.
He said: "It dragged me across the boat and would have pulled me
in had my colleague not grabbed my trousers - it was like the whole
earth had just moved. I knew it was going to a big one.
"It buried itself on the bottom and the main fight was trying to
get it off the floor.
"I tried with every ounce of power but it just would not budge.
After half an hour my arms began shaking and after an hour my legs
went.
"Another 30 minutes went by and then I put a glove on and
physically pulled the line with gritted teeth and somehow I found
the reserves to shift the fish."
Once the stingray was off the bottom 11.5 stone Mr Welch, from
Aldershot, Hants, managed to lift it 30ft to the surface.
He said: "As soon as we saw it there was just silence because
everyone was just in awe of this thing.
"That line from the film Jaws came to mind about needing a
bigger boat because we had to get it to the shore to tag it."
The group managed to put a 12ft wide net under the fish and
towed it to the bank.
Mr Welch and the team released the stingray, which turned out to
be a pregnant female.
The giant freshwater stingray is listed as a vulnerable species
on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red
list.
Although its numbers are unknown, experts believe the population
has dwindled by 20 per cent over the last 10 years, making the
possibility of extinction extremely high.
