Today we have some news from Chernobyl, the place of the Soviet Nuclear disaster.
The first one is about giang fishes nowadays can be found in the rivers of Chernobyl. Lately people all the time witness them, and Chernobyl travel trips now include special bus stops on the bridges to make photos of those puppies.
They have been reported to reach 3-4 meteres long (10-13 feet). Many stories now being told about the military diver that lost his hand thanks to one of those and some other horrifying tales. People say that the bottom mud is still radioactive in Chernobyl rivers which allows these fish get that size.
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Here is another video, bit less quality, but still can be seen the contours to guess their size. The “food” they get from the spectators is usually the big pieces of loaf, so the real size of the fish can be understood in comparison.
The next story is about new giant dome being constructed above the central point of the Chernobyl site – the reactor.
The dome would be assembled at side, in order not to risk lifes of the construction workers participating, and then would be moved on rails like a rolling door to seal this friend forever.
They tell it would be really huge, 108 meteres (300 ft) tall and would be taller than Liberty Statue. Some Russian people make jokes that this nuclear shield is looking nice above the Liberty Statue, meaning that the atomic disaster in New York might have a chance too.
They say it would weigh 20,000 tons.
And that’s how the place and the reactor looks like, while the Big Shield project is not yet carried out. They say the radiation is pretty considerable in that place even now. One can hear the sound of crick-cracking monitors turned on. As you can see this place is pretty popular among tourists, some companies specialize on such kind of tourism.
Damn, I’ve been there two monthes ago and didn’t see them. Now I got a good excuse to come back
OMG Russian fish looks so nasty
OMG. In India do not know geography. It is Ukraine
OMG in India do not know geography. It is Ukraine
And in the Baltic States they apparently don’t know which country they belong to, so they post twice with each time another country name.
Eu não sabia que podiam fazer visitaaaaaas a chernobyl depois do desastre atomico!!
o incrivel é que tem peixes vivos!!!!
So can you eat that fish?
European catfish is very very tasty. You can’t compare with american catfish. It’s the tastiest fish out there.
Amount of radiation in the animals is too small to hurt you after eating it one time
I would not suggest you make it a diet though
Deer and hares also live in the Zone and are hunted and sold as specialty meats
Looks like a mekong catfish. They’re all that size.
Wels Catfish that big are not uncommon at all, even in healthy environments.
From Wikipedia:
“With a possible total length up to 3 m (9.8 ft) and a maximum weight of over 150 kg (330 lb) [Wels Catfish] it is the second largest freshwater fish in its region after the beluga sturgeon.”
My grandfather used to catch catfish like this in Pripyat river nearby (before Chernobyl accident of course), so there is nothing extraordinary here.
Catfish managed to grow to this size just because there are no so many fishers/poachers in that area anymore.
DO NOT LOOK AT THE TRANSLATIONS SUCH AS THE JOKE ABOUT THE LIBERTY STATUE, THIS IS COMMENTED IN A DUMB AND CONFUSING WAY. RUSSIANS DO NOT DREAM OF NUCLEAR DISASTERS AND COLD WARS, THEY DREAM OF ECONOMIC RECONSTRUCTION AND BETTER FAMILY WELFARE. STEREOTYPES AGAIN, WE HAVE ALOT OF STEREOTYPES ABOUT AMERICANS TOO.
yes Russians do dream of good fortune and prosperity but no action. 99% dreams, no result. They do not try to get government that really represents their interests but government [like now] that 90% works for itself and its network. Talk about prestige and patriotism but government just want power and more power. To keep ordinary people down and small and poor and afraid: is their goal. Try doing business in Russia it is maybe worst country in the world to do business like starting shop. Almost no small and medium sized businesses in Russia [read: poor man's business] only big business with lot of connections and power and large network for bribes and more power gathering. Simple people [99%] have no chance here. Dream on Russia!!! But actually it is time to put foot down and demand more rights and freedom !!!!!!
“They do not try to get government that really represents their interests”
now i got the reason why u guys are in war with iraq, ty
I believe that the greatest detriment to wildlife is the encroachment of man on their habitat. According to some reports, the animals (and presumably fish) are thriving in the Chernobyl area because radiation is less harmful to them than humans.
So … I guess there’ll be no glow-in-the-dark caviar!
3-4 meters… LMAO. Come on why do you always have to say bullsh!ts in your “descriptions”?!
Yeah I read it as a threat too – just as well I also hate USA
Psh.
Just catfish. Catfish get that big if left alone. I personally have caught some over a 3′ long (~1 meter). I would guess that since everyone’s left he area, the fish are no longer being fished, so they are having a chance to grow big.
And as for radiation from the mud? Radiation does not travel much in water, so I’d guess that it’s not an issue, unless there’s a lot of radioactive matter stirred up for them to swallow. And that would most likely just cause them to have cancer.
WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!!
Chernobyl is not in RUSSIA!!! It is in Ukraine and this is a big diference!!!
The sizes of those fishes are normal…There are no fishermans so they can grow to big sizes…And turists feed them so it is NORMAL!!!
RUBBISH video!!!!
Come on, it’s nothing more than just an old good catfish… yes, they’re really huge, up to 3 meters and more.
It’s plenty of them in the rivers of Russia.
Project shelter is my father’s project. He’s in slavutich working on it from the PNNL side. I was born in Pripyat’ and go to CHNPP and Pripyat’ every other year since I have access to this place through my dad. FISHING IS NOT ALLOWED, as what you’re seeing is the cooling pool for the reactor. Who in their right mind would fish in a cooling tank???? I have a bunch of photos and videos of the fishes as well. It’s catfish and the stories about the diver losing his hand are bogus to tell you the truch. There have been incidents of catfish attacks, but mostly in the Baltic regions, not in this small cement-bottom cooling pool, trust me
Cool.
Can I go with you next year?
I was there 3 years ago. The catfish grow to that size because of people feeding them and the lack of predators. It has nothing to do with radiation, though contamination levels may indeed be high in the cooling pond.
Just to point out, when it comes to shielding things from radiation, water does an excellent job.
We even have varieties of catfish this big in the states.. It’s really no big deal. Verry common to see this around dams where people arent allowed to fish.
Its cat fish! They get that big on a normal scale, they get even bigger. Radiation has nothing to do with this. Infact it would kill them.
Yea, these look like typical European catfish. Its flesh is considered a delicacy and I am pretty sure that fishing and pollution drove this fish into near extinction in most rivers during the Soviet times. But now that no one lives or fishes in Chernobyl, these fish had an opportunity to become numerous again.
That was really strange…
dinono.com
I think they are wonderfull.
Thats just an european /asian catfish… in hungary they become up to 8 meters.. depending on water temperature and feed…
This construction must be finalized at this time.
There is nothing special in this..
These are regular catfishes..The only strange thing is that they can be seen very well. Usually they wait hidden in the mud.
Adam says:
July 20, 2009 at 8:45 am
Thats just an european /asian catfish… in hungary they become up to 8 meters.. depending on water temperature and feed…
Urban legend: the biggest (registred) one which was caught in Hungary was 112 kg, 227 cm
There were some longer (1-2 centimeters) ones but this is still the biggest one because of its weight.
use google or wiki for getting information
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catfish
have a fun
been looking at previous comments ..do not understand a lot of them great blog you got me
In Sweden we use them as portable food, riding them
Five at a time.
Sh*, American catfish, phew …
Start fixing those saddles Chernobyl. Perhaps we could race in some years?
European Catfish, get together, join the race.
any comments about other interesting things noticed in the videos and the rest of the pages?
Like the exposure meter.
was that 0.640 in Milirem or REM?
what is the safest distance before acute effects are noticed?
has anyone tested the fish? maybe all this is hype generated by more governing officials that don’t want anyone spying around and seeing what they are really doing in there now.
a shield is going to do what? save the people and reduce the security work force in years to come?
let us see how many workers for a short period to build it verses how many jobs lost in the future.
and keep your political views on politic pages. peace don’t have a chance if you don’t give it one!
I too am more interested in the reading on the survey meter. Is it .6 rem (600mr)? Or is it in SI (Sieverts – I hope not – much worse. 1SI = 100 rem). Either way I would not want to be standing even in a 600 mr area. I have a lifetime exposure of 20,000+ mr from working in nuclear plants when younger.
I am going to guess that this lake was stocked a few years after the event occurred to maintain the lake and that most likely any fish that was in the lake at the time of the event most likely were irradiated to death. For siluriformes(catfish)to grow to that size is not uncommon but, what is the amount of them in one lake which suggest overstocking and an overabundant food supply.
Move to the USA, less communism here.
Catfish is nasty tasting no matter what.
Trouts much better.
just wanted to say great blog.
Have enjoyed your article very much and benefited from the information. Thank You.
Don’ think that thats caused by nuclear radiation, that’s only a mutant catfish
What a wonderful place to vacation. I can’t wait to glow in the dark.
hi, what happened was there were two bears at the rivers daam that cools the reactors, one was killed by the other one and pluged the one intake fore the cooling tower, then the man who lives up the side of the dam who inspects the reactores cooling system was bitten in the face and took has nose off but still managed to kill the bear, grizzlies, hudge, 2200lbs, he had and elephant gun, but he was blinded with all the blood on his face and no one could hear him cry for help, so the reactor blew, wild life gets sucked into jet engines, some things you have no control over, TERRY JAMES FRASER, MY BROTHER IN LAW JERRY GERARD SIGNORI CALIFORNIA, angelene jolie gets %99 shares
ha, and yes there were dead deer the bears killed also plugging up the reactors dam intake ,the bears were killing them