A German fisherman and his twin brother were fishing in a lake in the Netherlands when they suddenly caught a rare bright-yellow wels catfish that seems to look like a wiggling banana with gills.
On Oct. 4, Martin Glatz from Duisburg, was trying out a new fish bait when he thought he had caught a fish as big as a “47-inch pike,” when he had a little struggle reeling in his catch.
Image credit: Martin Glatz/Field and Stream
When he looked down at the water, he saw a bright yellow “glowing” catfish swimming 3 to 4 meters below the surface, and he started to get excited. “We fell into a state of shock,” Glatz told The Epoch Times. “And I yelled at my brother to have the landing net ready.”
Image credit: Martin Glatz/Instagram
The bright-yellow catfish measured 1.19 meters, and Martin described it as “uniformly bright-orange and beautiful,” calling it a “Mandarin catfish.” After taking its measurements and snapping some photos with the rare-colored fish, Martin and his brother, Owen released it, following fishing regulations, and also allowing it to grow “very big.”
“I have never seen such a catfish before,” Glatz told Live Science. “I am still overwhelmed by it.”
The bright yellow color of the catfish is assumed to be a genetic disorder called leucism, which is caused by a natural color deficiency in animals, though, unlike albinism, their eyes are not affected. The disorder affects mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish, which makes predators see them as easy targets.
Image credit: Martin Glatz/Instagram
Image credit: Martin Glatz/Instagram
According to Field & Stream, a Wels catfish can grow as long as 9 feet and weigh almost 137 kgs. Since they are natives to most parts of Europe, a typical catfish is dark greenish-black, with some bits of yellow spots, says the NOAA.
Martin Glatz’s grandfather introduced him to the sport and has been fishing since he was 13-years-old. His favorite place to go fishing is in Duisburg Harbor and does it two to three days a week. Glatz is overwhelmed with this opportunity to have caught a rare-colored fish and is very grateful for the luck the day has brought him.
Credits to: Martin Glatz/Instagram
“It’s in our family,” he told the newspaper. “My twin brother is fishing, my wife is fishing, and hopefully, our sons will discover the hobby for themselves as well.”
Source: en.goodtimes.my
