Photo: Getty Images
A teenager in Tennessee has gone viral after showing off an incredible, and rare, catch he made while fishing in the Tennessee River.
At just 15-years-old, Edwards Tarumianz has accomplished a feat that very few fisherman can say they have seen, per News Channel 9. While fishing along the Tennessee River last week near downtown Chattanooga with fishing guide Capt. Richard Simms, the teen caught a rare, leucistic blue catfish. While most catfish are a greenish-brown color, this catch was pale white, lacking nearly all pigmentation.
Simms expressed his excitement for Tarumianz, saying, "Edwards may catfish for the rest of his life and never catch, or even see, another fish like that. I am 67 years old. I have boated literally tens of thousands of catfish over the years and this was the first I'd ever seen in person."
According to the news outlet, leucism is caused by a rare gene, similar to albinism but without the signature pink eye of an albino. Sims said they were shocked to see the fish swimming through the water.
"Of course, we could see it in the clear water before we actually had it in the boat," he said. "We were both so excited and nervous we could barely speak until Edwards finally led the fish into the net."
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency shared photos of the amazing catch on Facebook, and as of Thursday (July 7), the post, which can be seen here, has been shared more than 2,300 times and has over 600 comments. Other outlets, such as Field & Stream magazine, have also share their own stories, spreading news of rare catch to readers across the world.
After documenting the catch in plenty of photos of videos, Edwards released the unique creature back into the water.