"It sure looked prehistoric," said Kimber Phillips, Sunrise Marina manager. Then, he'll likely hang the blowfish from the ceiling inside Computers Paramedics. Saleh plans to transport the tremendous puffer to a Gainesville taxidermist, who will mount the fish in a pose featuring a fully inflated belly. He formerly managed a convenience store and ran a locksmith business, and he has more time to fish since becoming medically disabled after a 2015 car accident on Interstate 10. Now 36, the 2001 Rockledge High graduate helps his father run Computers Paramedics, a digital service shop on West King Street. Saleh started fishing at age 5 with his grandfather at Santa Rosa Island, when he lived in Destin. "Eat Puffer And You May Suffer," declares the Florida Department of Health in PowerPoint presentations. The fish produces a potentially lethal saxitoxin that can cause serious illness if eaten. Since 2002, the FWC has prohibited the harvest of puffer fish from Brevard, Volusia, Indian River, St. Space Coast fishermen are familiar with the Indian River Lagoon's southern puffer fish - a far smaller, noxious cousin denounced as trash fish by many anglers. It's always exciting to see a new record for a fish," he said. I hope everything goes through and we get to see a new record out of that. But you'll find them inshore, too," Schratwieser said. They're primarily oceanic, so you'll find them way offshore. "They're kind of just considered a nuisance from an angling perspective - but these fish are kind of a completely different animal," Schratwieser said of puffer fish. Saleh called Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials, who directed him to contact the Dania Beach-based IGFA. I decided that's when I should do some homework," he said. "When I got back to the marina, people started taking pictures of it. It's why no one would have guessed he was a puffer fish, because he actually never expanded," Saleh said. "And he never blew up - that was the odd thing. And then we had no idea what it was when we got it in the boat," Glover said.ĭespite its gargantuan size, Saleh said the oceanic puffer fish scarcely put up a fight. And then when we started reeling him in, I thought it was a cobia. The colossal puffer struck a live ballyhoo rig about five minutes later. Glover said his fish finder indicated plentiful bait 16 miles straight east of Port Canaveral, so he dropped a couple of lines and started trolling. Saleh was fishing with his buddy, Merritt Island boat owner Pete Glover, when he hooked the historic fish. More: Sargent: Passage of Modern Fish Act draws praise More: Sailfish action is hot off Port Canaveral Then in February 2017, JoAnn Manali caught a 7 pound, 1 ounce oceanic puffer fish while bottom-fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1991, Jane Jagen caught a world-record 7-pound oceanic puffer fish at Sandy Hook, New Jersey while drifting squid using a homemade rod, according to the IGFA world records database. The organization does not ratify final decisions until 60 days after date of catch, said Jason Schratwieser, IGFA conservation director. Saleh has submitted notarized paperwork and evidence documenting the behemoth blowfish to the International Game Fish Association for consideration as a possible world record. When he showed it, we were all just like, 'What is that?'" Fifer said. Even though it is prepared only by highly trained chefs, people have still died from eating it.Īccording to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the giant freshwater puffer is considered of least concern."It was so large, people really didn't know what it was. Puffer is one of the famous delicacies of the orient especially in Japan. The toxin is over 1,000 times deadlier than cyanide and there is no known antitoxin for it today. When ingested in sufficient quantities, it can cause paralysis and even death. It cannot be passed on to humans unless it is eaten. Parts of the puffer’s body contain the deadly neurotoxin, tetrodoxin. Additionally, puffers have the ability to change their color depending on their mood or surroundings. Their beak-like mouthparts which are used to crush shelled invertebrates are formed by the fusing of two teeth from each jaw. They are one of the few fish species in the world that can actually blink or close their eyes. Puffers also have a few other interesting adaptations. Like all of its relatives, it is capable of inflating itself with water or air when stressed or otherwise frightened. The giant freshwater puffer, also known as the Mbu Puffer and the Giant Green Puffer, is a carnivorous fish that prefers to dine on crunchy foods such as mollusks and crustaceans to help prevent tooth overgrowth.
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