THE 35,000 THAT GOT AWAY
10/4/2007 4:53:35 PM by Robert Edens
Although it may sound like an angler’s nightmare to lose that many fish in one excursion, this story has a happy ending, albeit on a gourmet skillet.
Photos courtesy of IGFA
Most anglers who have been fishing long enough have a tale of the one that got away. Sometimes the stories are a great frustration to the teller who may have missed an International Gamefish Association (IGFA) World Record. Sometimes the stories seem to be more about a 20-pound tuna that broke the line and became a 200-pound fish by the time the boat got back to the dock. No one however, has a tale such as that of Australian Craig Foster, who had 35,000 fish get away.
Since 2003, the fish farm Foster oversees, Marina Harvest in Australia’s Northern Territory, has been exporting barramundi to America and Europe, including the UK, Russia, Poland, France and Germany. That year, they bred 800 tons of barramundi and have increased production since. The tropical north Australian native barramundi are popular perch-like fish. These tasty morsels feature delicate white flesh that make them the choice of top chefs. Anglers love them for their challenge, which includes acrobatic feats, often leaping well out of the water to try to get free of a hook or break a line.
September 26, 2005 started out just like any other day for Foster. Yes, the tides were a bit higher and rougher than usual, but there was no inkling of what was to happen. So Foster went about his day. There were fish to check and tons of paperwork to do, as with any successful fishing business. As the weather continued to worsen, the fish cages were checked and deemed secure.
Despite the best efforts of man, however, when Mother Nature wants to, she will get her way. Such was the case as the strong tides suddenly snapped the chains holding the cages that held an estimated 35,000 fish, that immediately began to escape. “The tides broke some large steel chains and released 100 tons of harvest fish into the bay to the benefit of the local anglers,” says Foster. “There’s been many a smiling angler casting a line since.”
The now-free barramundi immediately made their break into the sea off Bathurst Island, located near the Tiwi Islands. Pandemonium ensued as equipment was gathered and boats sent out to recover the runaway fish. As word spread among the local anglers, they too arrived in droves and began to compete with the Marine Harvest staff in their recovery operation. “The locals were quickly on the scene and were all smiles over their good fortune,” says Foster. “I saw a couple hold up some fish with great glee.” As word spread further, hotels began to fill as tourist anglers checked-in to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime angling experience.
For days, the scene was a crowd of boats, some with simultaneous fish on the line jumping, leaping and flinging themselves around to avoid capture. These fast and powerful fighters will also dive for shelter in their athletic fight against the line. It was a scene of vigorous action. The excited shouts as the fish were landed carried over the water. “It was a truly amazing sight,” says one local angler who was at the scene. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I wasn’t there to see it. There were so many barramundi! It seemed as if you could walk over the water on them...there were just so many. I know that wasn’t actually the case, but they truly did seem to be everywhere.”
“Guess what the daily special at the fish markets and restaurants is nowadays,” laughed a commercial fisherman, who was out there in his small boat with his crew of one. “Barramundi! We’re lucky this is such a good tasting fish or people would soon be getting sick of eating it around here.”
The good fishing went on for days into weeks, as many of these wily fish repeatedly avoided capture. Some anglers claim the waters are now home to the offspring of the fish that were never caught back then. The missing fish were worth an estimated $377,000, making this not only the largest amount of fish that got away, but potentially the most expensive batch as well.