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A quantity of uncooked nuts, which are toxic to fish who swell up because they cannot process them, were found nearby on the bank. Owner of
Bluebell Lakes Tony Bridgefoot, 53, said he feared the fish had been killed by "irresponsible anglers" ... "It seems her demise was caused by the introduction of
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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
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However, this very accessibility made the fish controversial among the sport's elite: "Everyday anglers loved her because there was a chance they could have their photo taken with one of the big fish ... some serious anglers did not like her because she was open to everyone."
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Benson's successor as a popular and very large common carp may not live too far away from the fish's former haunt. "The same complex where Benson lived boasts a lot of promising 40 lb fish. There's one—the Z-Fish—that is ounces under 50 lb and still growing."
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Benson died on 4 August 2009, aged 25. At the time of her death, she weighed the same as a large dog and was worth £20,000. The owner of the lake where she lived alleged that she was accidentally poisoned by anglers using uncooked
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Benson's record of being caught so often masks her unpredictability. "There was a period when Benson was caught every Monday for six weeks. Then it seemed that she disappeared for the next 12 months"
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in
Northamptonshire. She was one of approximately 150 carp in Bluebell Lakes, which are managed "to provide the best environment for growth potential of the fish". Steve Broad, editor of
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93:. Benson's popularity was such that she was caught 63 times in 13 years, although the accessibility that made her popular was also the cause of controversy among
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as bait, though evidence points to the contrary (see section on death below). Another possible cause of death was the complications during egg production.
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It has since been confirmed that the most likely cause of death was not nut poisoning, but rather reproductive complications due to
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The fish, who was female, was originally one of a pair: her original companion, Hedges, disappeared in a flood of the
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97:'s elite. She has also been referred to as "the people's fish" and was voted by readers of
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118:. At her peak weight, in 2006, she weighed 64 pounds 2 ounces (29.1 kg).
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457:"Benson, the Giant Carp, Likely Died From Reproductive Complications"
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426:"Benson the carp was near the top of angling's household names"
89:(1984 – 4 August 2009) was "Britain's biggest and best-loved"
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reported in August 2009 that the fish had been "poisoned":
219:"Angling world in mourning for Benson the celebrity carp"
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magazine, ascribed Benson's fame to "her accessibility":
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in 1998. Both fish were named due to a hole in Benson's
114:that resembled a cigarette burn, in a reference to
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388:"Ray lands record-breaking 61 lb monster carp"
354:"Britain's biggest common carp is 'poisoned'"
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134:Benson lived in the Kingfisher Lake at the
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500:Individual animals in the United Kingdom
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455:Macdonald, Alistair (18 August 2009).
436:from the original on 9 September 2022
313:from the original on 9 September 2022
103:as Britain's Favourite Carp in 2005.
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261:from the original on 17 August 2009
229:from the original on 23 August 2019
364:from the original on 7 August 2009
287:from the original on 4 August 2009
16:Large carp in Northamptonshire, UK
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307:"Fishermen mourn death of a carp"
217:Low, Valentine (4 August 2009).
181:foods that are harmful to fish."
424:Broad, Steve (4 August 2009).
281:"Death of 'the people's fish'"
1:
386:Wade, Ken (7 November 2007).
309:. BBC News. 4 August 2009.
283:. BBC News. 4 August 2009.
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360:. London. 4 August 2009.
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505:Individual wild animals
461:The Wall Street Journal
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467:on 18 October 2009.
358:The Daily Telegraph
173:The Daily Telegraph
116:Benson & Hedges
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490:2009 animal deaths
485:1984 animal births
392:Peterborough Today
257:. 13 August 2009.
398:on 12 August 2009
339:. 15 August 2009.
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80:(aged 24–25)
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463:. Archived from
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465:the original
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438:. Retrieved
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138:complex, at
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78:(2009-08-04)
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91:common carp
479:Categories
432:. London.
335:"Benson".
197:References
112:dorsal fin
108:River Nene
430:The Times
265:17 August
233:23 August
223:The Times
187:gravidity
124:tigernuts
440:4 August
434:Archived
402:5 August
368:4 August
362:Archived
317:6 August
311:Archived
291:4 August
285:Archived
259:Archived
249:"Benson"
227:Archived
148:UK Carp
95:angling
63: (
58:Hatched
37:Species
144:Oundle
140:Tansor
87:Benson
53:Female
22:Benson
167:Death
510:Carp
442:2009
404:2009
370:2009
319:2009
293:2009
267:2009
235:2019
155:her.
130:Fame
73:Died
65:1984
61:1984
50:Sex
481::
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412:^
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327:^
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67:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
