Not only is the River Nile the longest river in Africa but also in the entire world. It is an astonishing 4,132 miles long and runs through 11 countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Egypt.
The Nile River is also home to the Nile Perch (scientific name, Lates niloticus), the biggest freshwater fish on the continent.
This enormous river monster is known by different names such as African snook, Goliath perch, Goliath barramundi, or Giant lates and is known to grow to lengths exceeding 6 feet and weigh a massive 440 lbs!
Belonging to the Centropomidae family of order Perciformes, the Nile Perch requires a highly oxygenated environment to thrive and prefers deep, unpolluted waters. Predators by nature, some of their favorite foods include fishes such as tilapia, and occasionally snacking on crustaceans and insects. They are also cannibalistic and often prey on their own kind.
On December 20, 2020, a California-based angler landed a behemoth of a Nile Perch from Lake Nasser, a reservoir of the Nile River as this excerpt explains: "For many anglers, catching a Nile perch may as well be the same as landing a trophy. One lucky Californian angler, William Toth made history on December 20, 2000, by catching the biggest Nile perch ever recorded –with a weight of 230 pounds (104.32 kg). This massive fish was caught while Toth was trolling Lake Nasser, but it was later released alive – but not before Toth and two other local guides spent almost an hour trying to weigh the big fish on a sling."
The fish which turned out to be the heaviest Nile perch ever recorded on rod and reel was released into the waters of Lake Nasser after an epic battle that lasted an hour it took Toth and two local guides to weigh it.
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