A gigantic goldfish, probably a new world record, was caught recently by a UK angler at Bluewater Lakes in Champagne, France, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
The orange specimen, nicknamed ‘The Carrot’, weighed in at a whopping 67lb 4oz to surpass the previous record set in Minnesota in 2019 by a staggering 30lb! The big fish is a hybrid of a leather carp and koi carp, and believed to be more than 20 years old.
Andy Hackett from Kidderminster in Worcestershire spent 25 minutes “playing” the fish and was delighted when it tipped the scales at just under five stone. “I always knew ‘The Carrot’ was in there but never thought I would catch it. It was also sheer luck,” he said.
Fishery manager Jason Cowler said: We put ‘The Carrot’ in as something different for the customers to fish for. Congratulations to Andy on a great catch.”
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Conservation call
A funding call of up to €1 million was launched last week by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) to support conservation projects through the Salmon and Sea Trout Rehabilitation, Conservation and Protection Fund.
Angling clubs, fishery owners and stakeholders are invited to express their interest in applying for funding through the ‘Habitats and Conservation’ scheme up to and including December 16th, 2022.
Priority will be given to projects that focus on rehabilitating damaged river habitats, improving water quality and helping fish to overcome physical barriers.
In addition to the €1 million funding, up to €50,000 is also available through the Midlands Fisheries Fund.
Since 2016, more than €6 million in grants was awarded to over 280 projects under various funding schemes. During this current year, €1,123,000 was approved for 35 habitats throughout the country.
IFI’s Suzanne Campion said: “Since 2016, projects under the Habitats and Conservation Fund have delivered 29km of in-stream maintenance and 37km [of] habitat restoration works. [In addition], 83km of spawning habitats have [become] more accessible through five fish passage projects.
“Under the Habitats and Conservation Scheme through fishing licence and permit income, groups can apply for grants in 2023 to continue this vital environmental work,” she said.
An information guide is available at fisheriesireland.ie/services/funding. As part of the two-step process, interested parties must first complete an Expression of Interest application on IFI’s grant management portal before 5:30pm on Friday, December 16th next.
After completion of Expressions of Interest, full applications can be submitted via the grant management portal until 5:30pm on Friday, January 27th, 2023. Decisions on applications and grants will be announced in May 2023.
If you have an angling story to share, please send to me at angling@irishtimes.com
