A NORTHSIDE fisherman landed the catch of a lifetime last week when he bagged a giant crayfish worth over
?¬250.
Skerries native Mark Francis, skipper of the Howth-based fishing trawler Catherine Alice, was fishing for cod off the Wexford coast when he netted the monster eight-pound crayfish on January 24.
However, the crayfish has escaped the pot thanks to the crew of the Catherine Alice and the depressed market, which makes it unlikely that a punter would fork out e250 for a crayfish dinner.
The male crayfish, which has been named Reggie after one of the notorious London-based Kray twins, was found 70km South East of Kilmore Quay in waters as deep as 110 metres.
The crustacean, which hails from the same species as lobsters and prawns, weighs in at 8.3 pounds and stretches to one foot, 5.7 inches in length.
Declan McGabhann, inspector with the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority at Howth Fisheries Harbour Centre, inspected the crayfish and estimated that it could be over 15-years-old.
“Mark called me when he caught the crayfish and asked if it was rare and whether I could find a home for it in one of the public aquariums,
? Declan told Northside People.
“I made a few calls and was absolutely delighted when the National Aquarium of Ireland in Galway accepted the offer of having Reggie as an exhibit.
“Mark told me that in his 20 years of fishing that he’s never seen a crayfish that was this large and was unlikely to ever see one again.
“It is important to have it placed in Galway so everybody could share the sight of the beast.
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When the Catherine Alice came into Howth harbour early on January 25, a steady stream of fishermen boarded the boat to have a look at Reggie.
The crayfish was taken to Galway the following day where it will spend the rest of its days in the National Aquarium of Ireland in Salthill.
According to Declan, it was crucial that Reggie got his own display tank, as he could otherwise become dinner for another species.
“A crayfish of that age probably molts its crust once a year and when that happens its soft flesh is unprotected for 24 hours until its new shell forms,
? he explained.
“If he was in a tank with other shellfish or fish he would be eaten fairly quickly.
“I’m very glad that Mark and his crew decided to save the crayfish because it’s often the case that extraordinary and unusual catches are thrown back or eaten on board, which unfortunately means that we don’t get to record them.
“A few years back when the unusual orange lobsters were found it got a lot of publicity, and eight other orange lobsters were found that year.
“That helps us to establish a new guide of what’s rare and what’s becoming more common to the Irish Sea.
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