120-Pound "Monster" Blue Catfish Released Back to Water by Tennessee Fisherman, Might Break Record

A 120-pound "monster" blue catfish has been captured by a Tennessee fisherman. After being measured, the 54-inch fish was returned to the Cumberland River where it was originally caught. The catch could potentially break the current record.

Pictures of the fish showing their surprise and referring to the catch as a "big blue" were published by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

On skipjack and a 30-pound test line, Tennessee fisherman Micka Burkhart caught a massive blue catfish yesterday at 12:30 on the Cumberland River in Stewart County. If verified and certified, the 118 pounds 7-ounce blue catfish will set a new record in Tennessee.

Blue Catfish

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, blue catfish are the largest species of catfish in the US and are indigenous to the river basins of the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Rio Grande (NOAA). The largest fish ever caught weighed 143 pounds when it was fished from the Virginia-North Carolina border. Due to their size, they are well-liked sports fish and have been introduced across the US for recreational fishing.

Various species, such as worms, mussels, clams, insects, smaller fish, frogs, and crustaceans, are prey for blue catfish. The sensory tissues on their skin and barbels, which resemble whiskers, enable catfish to locate prey by "tasting" the nearby water.

Between 4,000 and 8,000 eggs can be produced by females per kilogram of body weight, and both males and females can provide some form of parental care after spawning. According to Animal Diversity Web, after fertilizing the eggs, the male catfish drives the female away from the nest where he arranges, safeguards, and watches over the eggs and develops fry.

Both individuals of the blue catfish species and various seabirds prey on them. To defend themselves from predators that can poison their captors, they have dedicated spinal barbs on some of their fins.

Read also: Maryland Angler Reels in Record-Breaking Giant Carp while Bass Fishing 

Invasive Species: Booming Recreational Fishing Economy

On Maryland and eastern Virginia coasts, in the Chesapeake Bay, blue catfish are regarded as an invasive species. The other local wildlife has been impacted by the catfish population explosion because of their large body size, low mortality rate, rapid rate of reproduction, and range of predation.

Blue catfish were found to make up 75% of the total fish population in some tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay.

The most valuable fishery in the Chesapeake Bay is the harvest of blue crabs, which make up a sizable portion of the catfish diet.

According to Animal Diversity Web, however, the abundance of blue catfish has led to flourishing recreational fishing industry.

Following verification, the new 118-pound "monster" catch will overtake the existing 112-pound fish that was hooked in the Cumberland River in 1998 as the state record for Tennessee.

Additionally, Burkhart shared images and videos of his catch on Facebook, including one in which he attempts to lift the fish off the ground with a net and another in which he fails.

When he tried to weigh the fish, he claimed that he was unable to lift it entirely off the ground, Newsweek reports.

Related article: Man Reels in Two Enormous and Carnivorous Fishes from Lake Lillinonah, Connecticut