A MISSISSIPPI GRAND DADDY

This past week the news was alive with reports of largest Blue Catfish ever caught. It was caught in the Mississippi River and weighed 124 lbs. Naturally pictures had been taken, and he wasn’t a beautiful creature, but he was living free as God intended. I believe the experts figured his age at 30 years. Regardless, he was healthy, alive, and living in his natural habitat.

I voted in a poll on the internet as to what should be done with the fish, and was happy to see the majority of people voted that he should be released. After all, if he had survived that many years in the Mississippi, that’s where he should remain, until a death due to natural causes.

A few days later I read the fish was being transported to Cabela’s Outfitters store in Kansas City, Kansas. There, he would spend the rest of his life confined in a tank of some sort, for curious adults and children to gawk at. No doubt, he’d spend the rest of his days listening to tapping on his tank, as human beings tried to get his attention. All I could think was, "What a way to spend the rest of his life!" His freedom was gone forever.

I was furious, even after reading that the fisherman was not paid by Cabela’s. You can bet your bottom dollar if he didn’t receive cash, more than likely he was offered up a few gifts from their elaborate store!

This afternoon I once again read about this wonderful old fish, this time about his death! The Illinois Department of Natural Resources indicated they had taken many precautions with his transport. Isn’t that just grand? Well, obviously it wasn’t enough! I’m beyond furious at this point in time. I could spit railroad spikes, not nails…………

This is a direct quote from the article reporting his death: "But we're talking about a fish that was very old, very heavy. The stress of being transported like that could have been too much."

Just who is the "head" of The Illinois Department of Natural Resources? Maybe they should consider someone new, someone with a little common sense! Did they truly contemplate what the consequences might be? Well, it’s too late now, isn’t it?

Hopefully everyone involved in this incident has learned something, but I have my doubts. I wonder if they’ve ever heard the saying, "Don’t mess with Mother Nature."

Catfish live in the dark, murky depths in muddy water. It’s almost a blessing this Grand Daddy didn’t survive to live out his days in clean, clear water, and the lighting of a display tank.

On a final note – we have laws that require fish to be a certain size before being kept; we allow young fish to grow, mature, and reproduce. Why don’t we have a law protecting the Record Breaking Grand Daddies too? Take a weight, a snapshot, and then release! Walk away with a nice memory, and your name in the record book instead of creating a nightmare.

I bid a sad farewell to a regal Grand Daddy of the Mississippi………