RSPB Communities Christmas Advent calendar

Thanks folks;    

@ Wendy,  the giant Goldfish was exactly what it looked like lol    It was 92cm. and the next fish I caught a couple of mins later was a real beauty but poisonous, a China Man measuring just short of a metre at 97cm, it is the most beautiful striped fish (try look it up on Google ! )  it was released back to the deep;   I did not have a photo of it as I wanted to return it back into the sea asap.  

@ Rockwolf   I did not get to taste this particular fish but on our next trip to G.B.Reef and fising charter with friends we came back with several fish including a L.M. Nannygai plus a Job Fish, Sweetlips, very prized Coral Fish, etc, which we had for the next 3 nights in our hotel when the restaurant cooked them up for us using different methods;  they were the best tasting fish ever as they were so fresh and straight from the blue waters :)    I am not a great lover of fish really but have to say the ones caught for eating were indeed tasty.    

The fish they serve in the fish and chip shops is often shark;   Gummy Shark which we could also catch off a boat, they taste a bit like delicious Cod and named thus because they have no teeth .........phew !!!    not to say they can't do you some serious harm if you get your hand near their powerful jaw though !

@ TJ,   Seahorses are really wonderful animals, I only saw them in the Melbourne and Syndney Aquariums but they are so graceful and as you say, the Dad does all the work of incubating which is one of those amazing wonders of the world !  

The great white shark - absolutely magnificent and no, I wouldn't want to get anywhere near one!

The salmon - it's beautiful and can travel incredible distances.

Your magnificent fish, Hazy, reminded me of our Sturgeon. There is a Sturgeon farm not far from us where we go to count cormorants, Egrets & Ibis. We were there one evening & saw a huge fish in the ditch that runs alonside the path. I went & got the worker from the fish farm & he rushed off & got his net & captured it, a big valuable female (caviare). He walked around all the ditches & didn't see any more. A bit later I saw another & he came rushing out with his net, another valuable female. We were just packing up to go home & he came out with a huge male fish in a black dustbin bag, as a thankyou. He said he didn't have any caviare there or we would have had a tin. Anyway, he locked up & went home & we put the fish in the boot of the car.

We were halfway home & I thought, goodness if we get stopped by a gendarme we'll have a job explaining where  we got our fish!!!!! Luckily we got home without incident.  

The funniest thing was that I decided to cut it into steaks. As I cut the backbone the tail went up in the air & slapped down hard on the table. I screamed & jumped back. But it was definately dead. Every steak I cut it did the same thing.

It was delicious though when we ate it. We decided that the females had probably been dumped in the flooded ditch by poachers that we had disturbed when we arrived, as it was impossible for them to get there from their tanks!!

That's an impressive fish, Noisette. I've never seen a Sturgeon before and had no idea what they looked like.

This isn't the same Sturgeon farm that one of the Ospreys (Rothes?) stayed for some time back in 2009, by any chance. The farm, I seem to recall, was owned by a Dr Jones.

Day 21:
What would your fantasy wild animal cartoon character be?

It's too bad dragons aren't real as that was my very first thought!  I'll plump for a raven, with a crow as a close second (due to the fact I'm watching one performing acrobatics in the wind as I type).

Unknown said:

This isn't the same Sturgeon farm that one of the Ospreys (Rothes?) stayed for some time back in 2009, by any chance. The farm, I seem to recall, was owned by a Dr Jones.

The very same. Thats how I came to be on the forum at Loch Garten because we have always loved Ospreys & had hoped Rothes would one day come back here. We probably saw Rothes from a distance, but never close enough to see his rings etc. I worked in the vines all around the area that he spent his summer in!

Hazel C said:

As I cut the backbone the tail went up in the air & slapped down hard on the table

I'm so glad that you posted this Noisette. I have twice had this happen to me whilst in the process of preparing Trout. I have been the subject of much hilarity and teasing over the years regarding this. Thank you.

Paul

I'm glad I'm not the only one, it took all my courage to go near it again after the first time!