Moles Molehill

Post: #1 (ID: 69364)

Swordfish find shocks fisherman

The swordfish was discovered in the River Forth near Alloa
A 14 stone swordfish has been landed by a shocked fisherman in the River Forth.

Brian Hynd, 48, said he had set lobster pots in the river near Alloa "as an experiment" after hearing they had been caught in nearby Kincardine.

However, he instead caught a swordfish which was more than 9ft (2.7m) long and weighed about 200lb (90.7kg).

Mr Hynd, from Alloa, said that he plans to barbeque the swordfish Laugh Out Loud

, which is more commonly found in warmer, temperate waters.

He said that he set out with his nephew aboard their boat, the Telstar, from Alloa Harbour at about midday on Sunday to see if their lobster pots had proven successful.

He said: "There were no lobsters, which wasn't much of a surprise, but thrashing about caught in the ropes was this enormous swordfish.

"We got the shock of our lives."

Mr Hynd said the pair hauled in the fish and gutted it.

'Unusual creatures'

He added: "I've been fishing the river off Alloa man and boy since I was 10 years old and I've never seen anything like it.

"I've seen plenty of porpoises and even leatherback turtles, but never a swordfish so far up the river."

Dr Krishen Rana, a senior lecturer at the Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling University, who has studied photographs of the giant catch, said he was "surprised" it had been found in the River Forth.

He said: "Finding a swordfish on the River Forth would be very unlikely, although it's not an impossibility.

"There was a porpoise that had strayed up all the way to River Allan just a couple of years ago, which shows unusual creatures can be found far inland, but a razorbill swordfish would be very rare around these parts."

Dr Rana said that the tidal nature of the Forth meant there was a "good chance" it could have been washed up river.

Post: #2 (ID: 69368)

Blimey, that must have been a shock to see that when you weren't expecting it!! Bouncing Grin

Post: #3 (ID: 69370)

Ah dunno when that fish wull be bbqed Laugh Out Loud