Edinburgh fishmonger takes delivery of 'whopping' six-foot halibut caught in the North Sea

A fishmonger took delivery of a whopping six-foot halibut - which tipped the scales at 121kg.

Clare Welch, 33, got the mammoth catch on Wednesday - and said it took four guys to lift the fish at Welch Fishmongers in Edinburgh.

It was caught in the North Sea on Monday and taken to Peterhead where Clare bought it from, before being transported to Edinburgh on Tuesday.

Fishmonger Jimmy Mac, who is about 5ft 10in, was pictured alongside the whopper to give an idea of the sheer scale of it.

The monster catch has now been filleted into 450 portions and will be sold to restaurants around the capital, as well as in the shop.

Clare, whose family owns the business, said: "It's the biggest halibut I have ever seen come in.

"It's quite a feat to think about how they even got a fish that size on the boat.

Fishmonger Jimmy Mac, who is about 5ft 10in, pictured alongside the six-foot halibut - which tipped the scales at 121kg.

"It was caught in the North Sea and landed in Peterhead on Monday.

"Everyone was so impressed and excited by it - it was amazing to see one that size.”

"It took four guys to get it up on the bench and they were knackered after it.

"With a big fish like that you are never sure how to tackle it so we all had a ten minute discussion to see how best to fillet it.

"It was a great novelty for a Wednesday morning."

This is the latest massive halibut to be caught in Scottish waters in recent months. In September 2021, an eight foot halibut weighing 130kg was snapped up by Armstrong’s Fishmongers in Stockbridge.