A Canadian fisherman in British Columbia has caught what’s believed to be the largest albino sturgeon in the world.
Chad Helmer has hooked thousands of fish on the Fraser River, but none like the all-white sturgeon he landed recently. Helmer recently told his story to the The Province newspaper. It took 2 1/2 hours to reel in the monster measuring 11 feet 2 inches long and 5 feet around. After measuring the fish and snapping photos, the group let the fish go.
Albino effects occur in all species of animals, typically as a result of a genetic condition. There is some doubt, however, whether the fish Helmer caught on BC’s longest river is technically an albino. Owen Bird, executive director of the Sport Fishing Institute of B.C., who reviewed photos of the fish said he wasn’t sure.
“No doubt, that is an unusual fish and big for its kind. I don’t know for sure if it is albino, but agree it is very different in colouring and pale.”
Very few records exist documenting albino sturgeon, so it’s unclear whether in fact this fish broke a world record.
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