Hartlepool teenager catches ‘fish of a lifetime’ on fishing expedition

Edward Davies, 15, caught one of Britain’s largest fish species last week during a three-day fishing expedition in Scalloway, on the Shetland Islands, in Scotland.

Edward, who goes to High Tunstall College of Science, in Hartlepool, caught a common skate measuring 87 by 69 inches, and weighing 210 pounds.

He caught this rare-sized skate whilst on a fishing trip with Westside Sea Adventures.

Lindsay Davies, Edward’s mum, said: “He was absolutely over the moon. There were gentlemen who were over 50 on the boat and they said they have been fishing for years and not caught something like that.”

She added: “It’s the fish of a lifetime that he caught.”

It took Edward nearly an hour to get the fish on board, with the help of three other men, who then helped the fish back into the ocean.

Edward has been fishing since he was a young boy and was the youngest member on board.

Lindsay said: “What the men on the boat were saying is, it’s nice to see youngsters fishing because it seems to be coming out of fashion.”

A number of other fish were caught during the expedition, including cod as large as 35 pounds.

Despite its name, the common skate is listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and it is threatened in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea due to over fishing.