Fisherman battles shark to catch ‘once in a lifetime’ fish in Australia, video shows
While fishing in Australia, an angler put up a fight to reel in a massive “once in a lifetime” catch, videos show.
Ryan Selvey was fishing along the Gold Coast when he snagged something large on his line, 9 News reported, sharing a video on Facebook.
As he reeled in the catch, “(a) shark came up chasing (the fish) just as we were about to land him, nipped a little bit,” Selvey said in a TikTok video posted Feb. 9. Video shows a small chunk missing from the fish’s side. (Warning: The video has explicit language.)
Despite the shark’s best effort, Selvey landed his catch: a massive barramundi measuring more than 4 feet long and weighing about 61 pounds, according to Selvey’s Instagram post and TikTok video comments.
The fish was “released to fight another day,” according to Gold Coast Fishing Fanatics. The angler also confirmed to McClatchy News that it was indeed set free.
Barramundi, commonly referred to as “barra,” are a popular sport and game fish because of their size and their “great tenacity when hooked,” according to the Government of Western Australia Department of Fisheries. The species, which feeds on anything it finds, including crocodiles, can be found along most of Australia’s northern coast.
The largest recorded barramundi was about 5 feet long, and the heaviest was about 121 pounds, the department said. The species can live more than 20 years.
“Once in a lifetime fish,” one TikTok user commented on the video.
“This is one of the most impressive fish I’ve ever seen,” another TikTok user commented.
The Gold Coast is in the state of Queensland and about 525 miles northeast of Sydney.
This story was originally published February 10, 2023 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Fisherman battles shark to catch ‘once in a lifetime’ fish in Australia, video shows."
