A MONSTER FISH

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 49, Issue 201, 11 June 1929, Page 3

A MONSTER FISH

TUNA WASHED UP ON BEACH.

(Per Press Association.)

INVERCARGILL, June 10. A discovery of extraordinary interest was made on the Oreti beach at Invercargill yesterday afternoon when a monster fish which has been identified beyond doubt as a tuna was found stranded by the tide. It was in an excellent state of preservation and had obviously been dead only a few hours. So far as is known here this is the first time this king of all game fish has ever been found in waters off the New Zealand coast. This tuna is the largest representative of the mackerel family and attains the enormous weight of loOOlbs. The tuna is widely distributed, being found in all warm seas and is known to be just a wanderer, but the discovery of one on. the Oreti beach provides much food for speculation. It is thought that it may be that the specimen found was one that had played truant from its school and had inadvertently wandered in the Southern Seas. It is on the other hand quite conceivable that many more of its fellows are in these waters. An authority says that they are “the most erratic of fishes, coming and going without any set of rules,” and it is quite possible that they have decided to take up their abode, for a time at least, in Southern waters, despite the fact that they are accustomed to warmer latitudes.

The fish probably will be preserved in the Southland Museum. It was five feet in length and estimated to weigh 2001bs.