Catch of the day! Halibut that weighs 31 stone and is thought to be 150 YEARS old is landed at Hull ­- and could fetch up to £3,000

  • Giant fish 20 times the average weight for species and could feed 500
  • Caught off the coast of Norway before being shipped to Hull
  • 'It's a monster,' says fish merchant Dean Roberts who landed it
  • Could fetch up to £3,000 once processed and filleted

By Emine Sinmaz

PUBLISHED: 10:36 EST, 11 September 2013 | UPDATED: 16:54 EST, 11 September 2013


For years, it was the one that got away. 

But this 150-year-old halibut’s luck is finally over after it was caught off the coast of Norway, weighing a whopping 31 stone.

The giant fish is 20 times the average weight for the species and could feed more than 500 people.

What a whopper! The 150-year-old halibut, minus its head, with anglers Dean Robert (left), who landed the fish, and John Morrow

What a whopper! The 150-year-old halibut, minus its head, with anglers Dean Robert (left), who landed the fish, and John Morrow

Quite a catch: Anglers in Hull - from left, Neil Cutsforth, Dean Roberts, John Morrow and filleter Rob Pinch - used the fish's colossal weight to estimate its age

Quite a catch: Anglers in Hull - from left, Neil Cutsforth, Dean Roberts, John Morrow and filleter Rob Pinch - used the fish's colossal weight to estimate its age

The huge creature has been shipped to Hull, Yorkshire, where anglers have used its mammoth weight to estimate its age.

Fish merchant Dean Roberts, who has landed the giant catch, said: ‘It’s a bit of a monster.

 

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‘This one has got to be about 150 years old. It’s about a kilo for every year of growth and it weighs 27 stone, or 169kg, without its head.

‘It’s got away with not being caught for a very long time.’

Heavy load: The fish weighs 27 stone without its head, pictured, or 31 stone in all

Heavy load: The fish weighs 27 stone without its head, pictured, or 31 stone in all

Mr Roberts has already had a lot of interest from restaurants desperate for a fillet of the record-breaking fish and he is hoping to fetch more than £1,500 for the huge halibut.

He said: ‘Halibut is a much sought-after fish. It’s mainly a restaurant commodity. A lot of big restaurants in London sell it.’

After it is processed and filleted by his buyer, a fish merchant in Fleetwood, it could fetch as much as £3,000.

High price: Filleter Rob Pinch thinks the crew could get up to £3,000 for the fish once it has been processed

High price: Filleter Rob Pinch thinks the crew could get up to £3,000 for the fish once it has been processed

Mr Roberts, who co-owns fish merchant Norstar, said: ‘All the fish we sell come from a sustainable source. This was caught on a hook and a line.

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'The hooks are baited, they put them over the side and a few hours later they bring them back in.

'It’s a lot better for the environment and a better way of fishing.’

But despite its size, the huge fish is not quite as large as the largest halibut ever caught.

In July, German Marco Liebenow caught a 37-stone whopper.

It took 90 minutes to reel the 9ft long fish towards the surface, as it was too big to haul on to his small boat in Norway.

The previous largest halibut was caught in 2010 by veteran German angler Günther Hansel, 70, who reeled in a 34-stone (220kg) monster, which was sold for £2,000.



 

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Sad.

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I think they killed it just for the halibut...

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not really something to be proud of

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They're all looking very pleased with themselves. Yay, we killed some really rare wildlife today! And now we're going to sell its dead flesh and make lots of money! :D I hope they drown.

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And guess where it'll end up? In some fancy restaurant in London feeding greedy bankers who think nothing of paying £200 for lunch. It won't end up in Tesco that's for sure.

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That piece of Halibut was good enough for Jehovah.

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Is old meat more tasty? Its sad that, poor creature lost his life to these civilized animals.

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We read about this fish a few weeks. Surely it hasn't been laying around since then?

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I agree. What a feat of masculinity. What a test of strength and resolve, What a lot of money. What a bunch of clowns. Butchers of the earth at work, no respect and a sickening lack of cognisance.

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Disgusting.

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