Fisherman, Alex Rugus, knew he was onto something big when a near 50kg (110lbs) force at the end of his fishing line nearly toppled him over in his boat
But what he reeled in off the coast of Jurien, north of Perth, Western Australia was certainly not edible. It turned out to be an algae covered lawnmower!
“I initially thought it might well have been a sizeable octopus” says Alex “but was confused because it wasn’t thrashing about”
The stunned angler said it was definitely the strangest thing he'd have caught and he wasn't about to release it back to the sea. “I pulled it on board and hauled it back to the marina area. Someone joked it must have been the gardener's from Atlantis,' he said.
“I left it there to organise to get rid of it, but it had gone by the time I came back. I assuming to the bin, not for someone's shed”.
* The Lawnmower Blenny (Salarias fasciatus), also known as the Jewelled Blenny or Rock Skipper, is a saltwater utility fish that is used as part of a clean up crew to keep hair algae at a minimum. The lawnmower blenny will hop from rock to rock rasping at the algae growth and they do a great job on "hair algae".
