N.C. woman releases record-setting fish

RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 11 (UPI) -- A Raleigh, N.C., woman says she played catch-and-release with a big fish that likely would have set state and world records in size.

Gwen Frazier, 49, said she caught a huge black drum last month while fishing off North Carolina's Topsail Island, but decided to release the fish rather than keep it and potentially earn a world record, The Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer said Thursday.

"I'm 5 foot 4 (inches)," Frazier said of her Nov. 23 catch, "and the fish was exactly my height."

Fisheries biologist Randy Gregory of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries said if Frazier's claim of 64 inches is accurate and true, the fish likely could have been a state or world record-setter.

Gregory said the current state record is a 100-pound, 1-ounce fish measuring 56 inches in length, while the world record fish weighed 113 pounds, 1 ounce. The world record length was not reported.

Gregory applauds Frazier for releasing the fish despite the allure of potential fame.

"The lady should be commended for releasing this fish," he told the newspaper. "She

should be applauded. There are very few of these really big fish. They're incredibly important to the stock."