Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Back In The Water...

A fishing blog in Russia has got anglers scrambling to catch giant mutant catfish...said to be growing near the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster site!
The blog has even featured a picture of one catfish which locals reckon is over 2m long!

Because of the risk of radiation poisoning, access is limited to the area, and all fishing for food purposes has stopped. But now there's renewed interest from sporting fishermen keen to land the catch of their lives - regardless of whether it'll cost them their lives!
The Pripyat River is polluted with radionuclides, but anglers say there're giant fish to be caught, in parts of the river near but outside the exclusion zone. Riiigghhtt - like the fish can't be irradiated near Chernobyl, and then swim into a "safe zone"???
One local fisherman says: "I reckon radiation is more likely to give them extra eyeballs and two heads rather than simply making them enormous in size." Been watching too much sci-fi? "The bottom line is that nobody is fishing these waters," (really? Ask yourself WHY!!) "...and that's meant with no natural predator, the catfish has been able to grow to an enormous size."
Scientists are testing to see if they have excessive radiation levels which could be responsible for their large size.
Meantime, if you fancy a dinner that glows in the dark, go fishing for giant catfish near Chernobyl!