German pensioner catches world record halibut weighing over 34 stone

LONDON - A German pensioner has managed to reel in a halibut that weighed more than 34 stone, smashing a previous world record.

Gunther Hansel, 70, spent less than two hours wrestling with the massive 8ft 2in flatfish after hooking it in an Icelandic fjord with a 30lb line and plastic lure.

The fish was then hauled onto the fishing boat with a rope tied around its tail and the help of five other men.

The monster fish, which would have provided 970 fillet portions, weighed in at a mighty 482lb 13oz, smashing the previous best by 18lb.

“This is the fish I have been fishing for all my life,” the Sun quoted him as saying.

Hansel, from Magdeburg, near Berlin, sold it for 2,500 pounds at a local fish market and split the money with the others on his trip.

Atlantic halibut are among the largest bony fish in the world, and they can reach up to 15ft in length and weigh up to 700lb and can live for 50 years. (ANI)