Rare fish ‘too big’ for golf course lake

A rare fish that was found in a Scottish golf club’s lake is now too big to continue living there.

It is thought the fish – known affectionately to members as Amelia – was picked up by a large seabird in the Atlantic when it was just a few weeks old, but then dropped as the bird flew above the deep lake at Aird Uig Golf Club on the west coast of Scotland. It’s not known what species it is.

It was first spotted swimming in the lake by the 12th hole when golfers returned to the fairways after the first Covid lockdown in 2020, and was estimated to be about five feet long. Members also noticed around this time that all the other fish in the lake had disappeared.

Amelia has proven to be a tourist attraction for the club, with visitors from all over the UK playing the course to get a glimpse of it. Some have brought fish to entice it out of the water so they can photograph it eating their gifts. Others have even dived into the lake to get a snap of the animal.

Amelia

However, perhaps partly because of the feeding, Amelia’s size has expanded considerably and it is now 15 feet long.

The animal’s size has even resulted in some members cruelly referring to it as a ‘monster’ and those who run the club now can’t wait to see the back of Amelia.

“We’re a golf club, not SeaWorld,” said Aird Uig’s general manager Larry Vaughn.

“The course has also deteriorated because of her. Most of our greenkeepers only ever salinate the lake, and then they quit without even letting us know and we never hear from them again.

“On top of that, the jibes about her size has resulted in complaints which has meant we’ve had to invest in fish sensitivity training for our members.

“It’s time for Amelia to go back to the ocean. She’s too big for the lake now anyway. Fortunately a local artist has donated a fish tank to us, which we’ll be using for the transportation.”

This is the second time this year that Aird Uig Golf Club has been in the news. Recently it became known as the ‘Bermuda Triangle Golf Club’ due to the number of golfers who have gone missing after playing the course.

The nickname started after a fourball, who were last spotted on the 11th green, failed to return to the clubhouse after their round.

None of them have been seen since.