Giant '20ft' eel was really seven feet
A huge eel caught by fishermen off Devon which was said to be 20ft in length was actually only around seven feet long.
The conger eel was accidentally caught in the nets of a fishing trawler and pictures of the monster catch were uploaded to Facebook.
According to the Daily Mail, it caught the attention of hundreds of people who remarked how big it was.
New photo from Head of Fisheries, Pete Bromley, clarifies the size debate of our giant Conger Eel once and for all!...
Posted by Plymouth Fisheries on Friday, 15 May 2015
But now Plymouth Fisheries has said: "Sadly it was never measured before it went to auction but the fisherman who caught it estimated it was 'about 10 feet in length'".
Speaking to Sky News, a spokeswoman added: "Possibly the perspective of the hanging photograph does make it look longer - it looks shorter in other photos and eels stretch out when hung."
This whopper Conger Eel was landed at #PlymouthFisheries in #SuttonHarbour this morning! It weighed 59.5KG (131lb)...
Posted by Plymouth Fisheries on Thursday, 14 May 2015
Pete Bromley, Manager of Plymouth Fisheries, said: "The perspective is out in the photograph of the conger being hauled onto the quay, making it look a lot longer than it actually was. This photo taken by our staff yesterday of the conger alongside another landed eel gives a better indication.
"The chap standing next to it is around 5ft 7inches tall, and we estimated the conger eel to be around 7ft in length. Our second photo showing it lying on a pallet also makes this clear, as this pallet is only 1m by 1.2m in size."
The eel was sold for £40 at auction.
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