Benson (fish) facts for kids
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| Species | Cyprinus carpio |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Hatched | 1984 |
| Died | 4 August 2009 (aged 25) |
Benson (born 1984 – died August 4, 2009) was a very famous and much-loved common carp fish in Britain. She was known as "Britain's biggest and best-loved" carp. Benson was so popular that people caught her 63 times over 13 years.
She was also called "the people's fish." In 2005, readers of Angler's Mail magazine voted her Britain's Favourite Carp.
Benson was a female fish. She originally had a companion named Hedges. But Hedges disappeared in a flood of the River Nene in 1998. Both fish were named because Benson had a hole in her dorsal fin. This hole looked like a cigarette burn, reminding people of the brand Benson & Hedges.
At her heaviest in 2006, Benson weighed 64 pounds 2 ounces (29.1 kg). That's about the same as a large dog!
Benson died on August 4, 2009, when she was 25 years old. At that time, she was worth about £20,000. The owner of the lake where she lived first thought she might have been poisoned. This was thought to be from anglers using uncooked tigernuts as bait. However, later information showed this was not the case. It was more likely that she died from problems during egg production.
Why Was Benson So Famous?
Benson lived in Kingfisher Lake at the Bluebell Lakes complex. This is near Oundle in Northamptonshire. Bluebell Lakes has about 150 carp. They work to make sure the fish grow well.
Steve Broad, an editor for UK Carp magazine, said Benson was famous because she was easy to reach. He explained that only about 20 carp are really well-known among anglers. Benson was one of the most famous.
Among keen anglers there are about only 20 carp that can be seriously called "household names". Benson was near the top of that league. The thing that made Benson famous was her accessibility. Unlike other big carp, she was a day-ticket fish – anyone could go along and try to catch her.
This meant that anyone could buy a day ticket and try to catch her. Other big carp were often harder to get to. Regular anglers loved her because they could get their picture taken with a huge fish. But some very serious anglers didn't like this. They thought she was too easy for everyone to catch.
Even though Benson was caught often, she was still a bit unpredictable. Sometimes, she would be caught every Monday for six weeks in a row. Then, she might disappear and not be caught for a whole year!
How Did Benson Die?
Benson died on August 4, 2009. She was 25 years old.
Initially, The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that she might have been poisoned. The owner of Bluebell Lakes, Tony Bridgefoot, thought "irresponsible anglers" might have caused her death. He said uncooked nuts were found nearby. These nuts can be harmful to fish because they swell up inside them.
However, it was later confirmed that the most likely reason for Benson's death was not poisoning. Instead, she probably died from problems related to producing eggs. This is called gravidity complications.
Are There Other Big Fish Like Benson?
Yes! The same lake complex where Benson lived has many other large fish. Some of them weigh over 40 pounds. There is one fish called the "Z-Fish" that is almost 50 pounds and is still growing. It might become the next famous big carp!
