A whopper of a tale … but a true one!

KOTA KINABALU: A huge fish was found floating in the Tun Fuad Stephens lake in Bukit Padang near here, causing excitement among anglers and members of the general public.

The 108kg fish measuring about 2.4m in length was identified as Arapaima, a kind of Amazon fish, and was discovered by morning joggers at about 6.30am Monday (Aug 5).

A photo of the fish that was widely circulated on social media had people questioning whether the protected lake was now open for fishing.

Mayor Datuk Nordin Siman said the park is still under City Hall management and no one is allowed to fish at the lake there.

“The fish was already dead when joggers noticed it, and we sent people to check, ” he said.

Nordin added that officials from the Fisheries Department and a University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) research team will attempt to find out the cause of death.

For now, they believe it may be due to old age.

Asked how a fish from a species that originates from the Amazon ended up in the lake, Nordin said a fish breeder might have put it there years ago as the person could no longer take care of it.