Nevermind Fisherman Did NOT Break Missouri Fish Record

What Rich Porter thought was a catch of a lifetime turned about to be just a normal day of fishing.

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Last week I wrote about a story of Rich Porert who was announced as a Missouri recorded breaker for catching a 14-pound shortnose gar fish. After the first test results came back it was determined that the fish was purebred and not a hybrid. Well, the second round of testing was done and the results of that test determined that the fish WAS IN FACT a hybrid and not a purebred shortnose gar.

Questions started surfacing about the true genetics of the fish some fish experts weren't convinced it was a pure shortnose. News-Leader.com reported that the first test that was done on the fish was wrong and that the second generic testing proved the fish wasn't a shortnose gar. Specialist Andrew Branson says,

four species native to Missouri, can cross-breed. So, a shortnose gar can spawn with a longnose gar, thus creating a hybrid. These hybrids cannot reproduce, however.

So what about the record?

MDC stated in a news release that the previous shortnose gar alternative records method of 13-pounds, 1-ounce still stands. The fish was taken from Mark Twain Lake in 2006.

I feel bad for Porter who thought he was a record holder, but maybe this will give him some motivation to go back to the Lake of the Ozarks and try and get the record-breaking fish.