Aussie proves nothing fishy about monster catch

SPEAR fisherman Jaga Crossingham has won plenty of fans since images of his monster, 57kg wahoo emerged on social media last week.

But the Fiji-based Australian also has his share of doubters who queried whether the image of the fish was digitally manipulated.

Fortunately Crossingham has more photos to share that help verify the fish’s immense size – and also a nice little tale to offset some of the queries about whether it was going to waste once caught.

“They are very edible . . . really good eating,” Crossingham said of his Fiji record, which came in the “wild” waters about 160km off the south coast of the island country.

“All of it would have been used. We took it straight to the [nearby island] village and probably ended up feeding 400 people with it.

“We caught maybe 12 fish like it that day and giving it to the village is our little way of paying them back for allowing us to be out there.

“It was pretty huge. I tried to lift it vertically for the photos and I couldn’t do it.

“I caught a 75kg dogtooth tuna last year that was heavier but easier to lift because it was more short and fat.

“This thing was basically seven foot [2.13m] long. I think the world record for a wahoo is 62kg, so it wasn’t far off.”

Crossingham, 31, moved to the Pacific Ocean island 12 years ago. He runs charter company Fiji Freedive.

Wahoo can be caught at a depth of about 18m. “You need to be able to hold your breath for two minutes.” – NZ Stuff