[Hamilton Reef]

Record Texas catfish dies

http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/outdoors/12/8LEGNOTES.html

Thursday, December 08, 2005

The Texas state record catfish known as Splash died Tuesday, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife officials.

The catfish, which was being held at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, was donated to the state by angler Cody Mullenix of Howe. He caught the fish nearly two years ago on Jan. 14, 2004, at Lake Texoma.

At the time, the huge blue catfish weighed 121 1/2 pounds, making it the largest blue catfish ever recorded in Texas and a world record as well. However, a Mississippi River blue catfish caught earlier this year weighed in at 124 pounds, eclipsing Mullenix's record.

Splash was a crowd favorite at the Fisheries Center, especially during feeding periods, when she would eat chicken, herring and mackerel from divers' hands.

Parks and Wildlife fisheries biologists are planning to have a life-size replica of the catfish made for display at the center. The fish's skeleton also will be prepared and placed on display in Athens.

 

[Hamilton Reef]

Catfish CSI Reveals Cause of Famous Fish’s Demise

In the course of his work, Dr. Gluesenkamp and his colleagues discovered the probable cause of Splash’s death: severe damage to bone in her jaw area.

“It’s hard to tell if the injury was a break that got infected, or if the bone became so infected it simply fell apart,” Dr. Gluesenkamp said. “She sustained that injury a long time ago. The bone basically rotted away. I would not be surprised if that was where she took the hook, and bacteria got inside the bone. I’m not a fish veterinarian, but I would bet dollars to doughnuts that the injury was what killed the fish.”

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20060918a