Quebec Anglers Hook Massive Cod
OutdoorHub Reporters 02.25.13
Alain Gagnon and Claude Mathieu hauled in a monster fish while ice fishing last week in Quebec’s Saint-Rose-du-Nord.
According to CBC News, the pair of anglers ended the day with a 40-inch, 55-pound cod that they dubbed “the fjord’s monster.”
“It’s almost scary when you get there and the fish’s mouth is as big as the 10-inch hole in the ice,” Mathieu said.
Cod is heavily regulated by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) following the commercial industry collapse in the 90s, which saw the species protected by the Canadian government under a moratorium.
The waters around eastern Canada was once home to the world’s largest cod fishery. It is now believed that by 1993 the cod population had declined 75% from earlier decades. After years of conservation, the cod are finally, if slowly, returning to the area.
Presently, the DFO stated that catching the giant cod is legal, which is good news for Gagnon and Mathieu. Both men are avid anglers and Gagnon often enjoys going fishing with his wife. We hope they like fish sandwiches, because they just hooked about a year’s full.
Below is the interview with CBC News. Audio is in French only, no subtitles are available at this time.
