109-kg fish, age 100, caught in Detroit

A 108.8-kilogram sturgeon that could be more than 100 years old was caught on April 22 in the Detroit River by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The “real life river monster” was nearly 2.1 meters long, the agency said April 28 on Facebook, where a photo of it was shared more than 24,000 times by late afternoon. “Based on its girth and size, it is assumed to be a female and that she has been roaming our waters over 100 years. She was quickly released back into the river” after being weighed and measured, the Fish and Wildlife Service said. The typical life span for a sturgeon is 55 years for a male and 70 to 100 years for a female, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. This fish was caught near Grosse Ile, south of Detroit, while a three-person crew was conducting an annual sturgeon study. Frozen round goby, a tasty snack for a sturgeon, was used as bait on a long line that was deep in the river. It took about six minutes to get the fish into the boat with a net. Lake sturgeon are listed as a threatened species in Michigan. All sturgeon caught in the Detroit River must be released. (AP) This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.