Mississippi fishing captain Sonny Schindler found something rather interesting in the stomach of a Mississippi redfish.
Schindler said that he almost always checks the stomachs of his catches to see what they've been eating, but he's never seen anything quite like this.
Inside of the redfish was a fist-sized water bottle. Amazingly, the water bottle didn't deter the redfish from eating more food.
Schindler detailed the bizarre finding in a blog post for the Clarion-Ledger, and shared these photos of the redfish with Sport Fishing Magazine.
Image via Sonny Schindler/Sport Fishing Magazine
Image via Sonny Schindler/Sport Fishing Magazine
As for how the redfish managed to swallow such a large object, Schindler has no idea.
"I have no theories or explanations, only a remedy," said Schindler. "Keep your trash in a sealed compartment."
Ocean debris is detrimental to marine wildlife. There's so much junk floating around in the ocean that fish, birds and other aquatic animals often have a hard time avoiding it. It's not uncommon to find plastic objects like bottle caps in the stomachs of fish and birds. Other debris such as plastic six-pack bottle rings, discarded fishing line and fishing hooks can entangle and trap animals, leading to a painful and slow demise.
Remember to always properly discard your trash on and off the water.
