Carps are freshwater fish species mostly found in Asia, but they have managed to spread their presence far and wide and some of their species can also be found in Europe, North America, and Africa. They also come in all sizes, like the human-sized carp an angler in China recently caught.
The fisherman was surprised to have captured a yellow cheek carp almost as big as him. He even boasted about the fish in a video by carrying it on his shoulder, making him look smaller as the enormous fish dwarfed him. Read on to find out the whole story.
Human-Sized Carp That Took an Hour to Reel in Is Captured in China: How Big Can These Fish Grow Up To?
32-Kilogram Carp is Almost As Big As A Human
The fisherman from Hunan province, southern China spent an hour reeling in the massive carp from the river in Zhuzhou city, Daily Star reported. After reeling in the 32-kilogram yellow cheek carp on the pier, he let out a sigh of relief.
He shared a video of him lying next to the carp in the Chinese version of TikTok called Douyin to show how big the fish is. It was almost as tall as him from head to tail.
Overwhelmed by this unusual catch, he picked up the carp and carried it on his should as he made his way home. He posted the video on Sunday, May 1, which has since then gone viral.
Viewers were equally stunned by the enormous carp, with some even congratulating the fisherman for a rare catch, noting that it must have been worth a lot given its size.
On the other hand, some commenters were unhappy that the fisherman caught the fish. They believe that the fish should be taken back to the wild and should not be disturbed, especially since the fisherman does not have a large aquarium that could fit the carp, and it would be too cruel to kill it.
Whatever may be the case, the carp perhaps is one of the largest of its specie ever caught in history. With that said, it opens the question: how big could carp grow?
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How Big Can A Carp Grow?
Fishing for carp is a common hobby, and many large species have already been reeled in wherever these fish species live. Fishermen's tales of catching big carps are common, and every country documents these reports using photos, and some have been officially verified.
But the largest carp ever caught was captured by British man John Harvey in 2019. He reeled in a 105-kilogram Siamese carp in Thailand, according to A-Z Animals website. It took him 80 minutes to reel in the big fish, which was bigger than the Chinese man who recently caught the yellow cheek carp.
Harvey told Devon Live the experience was "amazing" as he had never caught a carp that weighed over 100 pounds before. He added that the fish was "absolutely enormous", and the pictures didn't give it justice at all.
At the same river, someone reported catching a Siamese carp 2016 that weighed 100 kilograms. The fisherman released it back into the water, so there were speculations that the man and Harvey probably caught the same fish.
Siamese carp are critically endangered carp species, and they are rare to find.
Check out these big carps ever caught in this compilation video from the YouTube account HuntingLifestyle:
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