Flat Head Catfish

This large fish, about 450mm long,  met its demise in the Friendship Park Lake and floated on the surface. The Park's cleaner collected the body and left at the lake side to be dumped, attracting handful of flies.

The Park was built ten years old, so this catfish is likely to be ten years old too. Catfish can attain a maximum life of 24 years and 1.5m length. So why this fish died at middle age ? Lack of oxygen or due to angler's hook?

When I was young, I followed my young uncle and cousins to catch fish in the streams. Catfish were often got hooked but most of the time less than 300mm long. The whiskers were the obvious characteristics. But back then I did not like to eat fish.