For this snorkeler, the catch of the day was "gut-wrenching."
Susan Prior was snorkeling off the eastern coast of Australia when she came across a wedding right wrapped around a fish. Prior is now using the opportunity to urge people to protect the environment.
Prior, who works as a writer, editor, and environmental conservationist was snorkeling in Emily Bay when she spotted a sand mullet, a small silver fish common to the area, swimming with a gold metal band wrapped around it’s body.
In the past, Prior has seen multiple sand mullets threatened with plastic waste from old juice and milk bottles, People reports. The woman however described this particular incident as “gut-wrenching.”
"Yesterday, I saw another mullet with a ring collar, but this one looked a shiny metallic gold, with a lot less algal growth compared to the plastic ones," she explained in her blog on Tuesday.
"Sometimes these rings escape into the wild, and this is the sad consequence," she continued. "Mullet snuffle through the sand looking for food making it so easy for a ring or hair tie to flip over their noses and get stuck."
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After taking a picture of the fish, Prior decided to try and find out who the ring belonged to.
"I decided to see if I could find the possible owner," Prior added. "It didn't take long for my suspicion to be confirmed; we now have a poor mullet weighed down with someone's (expensive) gold wedding ring."
Prior was able to track down the ring’s rightful owner, Nathan Reeves, who had lost it around Christmas while swimming with his wife, Suzie Quintal, Newsweek reports.
In order to retreive the ring, the fish will have to be caught in a net before the item can be slowly removed from its neck.
"Always trying to find the positives of any given situation, I see this as an incentive to encourage someone to relieve the poor fish of its handicap," Prior said. "Here's hoping we can deliver a happy ending to his story and for the owner of the wedding ring! The mullet has a life to live and it's only fair he gets to live it."
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While still working on setting the fish free of the ring, the conservationist is urging people to use caution when throwing away plastic waste.
"We all need to remain extra vigilant. And be aware of the consequences of our actions," Prior shared. "Snip those plastic rings, try to keep hair ties in your hair and not let them float away, and don't drive golf balls into beautiful Emily [Bay]. She doesn't need them."
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