Benson (fish)

Benson ( * ca 1984, † 4 August 2009) was a female common carp, which at times was regarded as the largest of its kind in the UK and attained celebrity through numerous catches.

Life

The carp Benson in 1995 settled in King Water Lake of the Bluebell Lakes complex near Peterborough ( Cambridgeshire). At this time, the fish already weighed about 11 kg. Was named the fish then after the cigarette brand Benson & Hedges due to a hole in his dorsal fin, recalled the shape of a fire hole. The exposed at the same time carp hedges disappeared in 1998 after a flood in the River Nene.

Unlike other big carp for which there are waiting lists for catch trials, each private anglers could try a day license to fish Benson. As a result, the carp was caught 63 times and each time put back into the lake. Alone in a unique period of six weeks Benson was caught every Monday. Because of the frequent catches Benson's weight was well known. In 2002, he weighed almost 26 kilograms and was not the UK's largest carp. In 2005 his weight was reported to be 26.6 kg, 26.8 kg in 2007, in August 2009, finally at 29.1 kg.

Death

On 4 August 2009 Benson was found dead in King Water Lake, the autopsy revealed that he was poisoned, probably due to incorrectly treated nuts that have been found in large numbers on the lakeshore and could have been used as bait uncooked. The animal was probably about 25 years old.

Media Coverage

Benson's death triggered a veritable flood of coverage from which most British television stations brought short reports, the London Times reported on the front page. About Reuters newswires and the Associated Press to Benson's story spread internationally. The animal rights organization PETA urged anglers to hang in memory of Benson their rods on the nail. This broad effect was partially as a typical phenomenon of the " silly season " (English silly season ) is considered.