World Record Rainbow Darter Captured in the Talbot River

When most people brag about a big fish they’ve caught, they hold their arms out wide to show just how huge their catch was. Brent Shirley caught a big fish, too – a world record breaker. But his fish would fit easily in the palm of his hand. Shirley made his record-breaking catch when he was doing fisheries monitoring work in August on the Talbot River, a tributary to Lake Simcoe.

Brent works as a Fish and Wildlife Technician for the Ministry of Natural Resources. He and his team of summer students were electrofishing the main channel of the river near Beaverton. In the catch, Shirley noticed one larger-than-usual fish. “Right away I thought we had one very oversized darter on our hands, and the excitement among cast and crew that day was something we won’t forget anytime soon”, he recalls. “We carefully laid the fish on our tape measure and saw that it was almost eight centimetres, or about 3¼ inches long.” Shirley took several photos of his prize catch, and then continued his sampling work for the rest of the day.

Shirley and other Ministry staff monitor fish and the health of lakes and rivers across the province to understand trends and maintain healthy fish stocks. The data collected helps the Ministry make decisions about regulating fishing. “When I returned to the office, I couldn’t wait to begin the verification process”, he said. “I contacted the guru of fish identification in Ontario.” That guru is Erling Holm of the Royal Ontario Museum’s Department of Natural History. Holm confirmed that the specimen was a Rainbow Darter (Etheostoma caeruleum); and a record-setter. The previous Ontario record was 7.1 centimetres in total length. The world record was 7.7 cm TL.

Shirley is now a world record holder with his 7.9-centimetre Rainbow Darter. “There’s nothing quite like catching a big fish”, says Shirley, a passionate angler in his free time. He admits he wouldn’t mind catching a really big fish. “My ultimate goal is to someday catch a record fish like a Lake Trout, whitefish, bass or muskie.” Rainbow Darters are members of the Perch family and they’re found in Canada and the United States. Usually five to seven centimetres long, they are considered an excellent “indicator species” because they have high standards for water quality and habitat. When asked if he would bring his prize catch to the local taxidermist for posterity, Shirley replied, “Heck no; like any trophy fish, I decided to release this one back from where it came.” (written by Wil Wegman, OMNR)