LARGEST CREATURES CAUGHT IN THE OCEAN

While I still now and then go fishing, like some, I nevertheless am a bit troubled about large fish catches, especially when some of them are on the endangered list.  Sharks are responsible for, oh, maybe five human deaths/year, while we decimate 100 million of them.  So unfair.  The ratio is worse actually with chickens, as avian flu has killed around 360 of us over the past decade, while we have eaten 500 billion chickens.  But, except for crowded living conditions and antibiotics, there is very little actual complaining about these fowl.

Which leads me to that 1323 pound Mako Shark this past week caught off Huntington Beach in Southern California, to be anointed by Guinness as the largest shark of its kind, captured by Kent Williams (above).  The shark was 11 feet long and measured 8 feet around the midsection.

Does this make the catch the largest ever?  Nope.  A 1402 pound Atlantic Blue Marlin was landed in 1992 after an 80 minute battle by Paulo Amorim off Vitoria, Brazil (below):

But an even larger sportfish was a 1,496 pound Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, by Ken Fraser, off Aulds Cove, Nova Scotia in 1979 after a fight of 45 minutes:

However, the most expensive bluefin tuna was bought by Kiyoshi Kiyomura at the end of last year in Japan for $1.76 million.  It was only 489 pounds, making the sale $3,603/pound.  The Japanese are responsible for consuming 80% of this particular type of fish, which is showing an alarming rate of decline.

While not a fish, a 20 foot 3 inch long, 2370 pound, saltwater crocodile was captured near Bumanwan township in the Philippines in 2011.  Lolong became a tourist attractions, but passed away in February.

All those are nothing compared to this 3,500 pound Mola Mola (sunfish), caught on rod and line in California in 1910:

Then, too, there are Whale Sharks in various aquaria around the world.  These can exceed 50,000 pounds.  Here is one in the Georgia Aquarium:

None in captivity, but the largest animal to have ever existed, the Blue Whale, can get up to 400,000 pounds:

The actual color is a mottled blue-gray.  The largest land animal today is the African Elephant at 27,000 pounds.  It is said that the Argentinosaurus might have weighed only a puny 200,000 pounds:

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