(WWJ) A catch of a lifetime in the Detroit River is among the largest lake sturgeon ever caught in the United States on record.
The Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office described the sturgeon as a “real life river monster,” coming in at 240 lbs., 6’10” long (longer than the average man is tall), and a girth of 4’.
A fishing crew with the Conservation Office caught the fish last week.
"We said we'd need a bigger net," Jenny Johnson, who was aboard the boat, told WWJ's Sandra McNeill.
Based on her girth and length, wildlife officials believe she is about 100 years old.
“So she likely hatched in the Detroit River in 1920 when Detroit became the fourth largest city in America,” a post on the Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office Facebook page read.
The post included hashtags like “is that a dolphin” and “dinosaur fish.”
Sea Grant Michigan said the average lake sturgeon caught in the Great Lakes weighs between 30 and 100 lbs. and is between three to six feet in length.
Females can live up to 150 years, according to Sea Grant, and can grow up to 8 feet long and 300 lbs.
Don’t worry, the fishing crew put her safely back in the river as soon as they completed the photo op.