Fact Check

280-Pound Catfish

Rumor: A photograph shows a 280-pound catfish caught by an Italian fisherman.

Published Feb. 25, 2015

Claim:

Claim: Photograph shows a 280-pound catfish caught by an Italian fisherman.


TRUE


Example: [Collected via email, February 2015]


On facebook there's a photo posted of a man with a HUGE fish... looks like a catfish. I believe it's photoshopped...can you verify this?

Origins: On 19 February 2015, fisherman Dino Ferrari reeled in an enormous 280-pound catfish from the Po Delta in Italy:

The above-displayed photograph, which was posted by Ferrari's sponsor Sportex Italia on their Facebook page, quickly went viral on social media sites and left many viewers in a state of disbelief.

While this single photo may have been hard to believe on its own, Sportex Italia provided several additional photos of Ferrari's catch:



According to Sportex Italia, Dino Ferrari's enormous catfish was measured at 2.67 meters (approximately 8 feet, 9 inches) and weighed 127 kg (about 280 pounds). While this is certainly an impressive catch (and possibly a record for a catfish caught with a rod and reel), it is not a world record catch. According to Heartland Outdoors, that honor goes to a 297-lb. catfish pulled out of the River Po in 2010:

Last updated: 25 February 2015

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.

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