Benson the 60-pound carp, in happier, healthier times. (Photo from gofishing.co.uk)
Britain's fishing community is in mourning the death of Benson, the 64-pound (29 kilogram) carp.
Fans of the 25-year-old Benson would travel for miles to the Bluebell Lakes complex in Cambridgeshire for a chance to have their picture taken with weighty monster.
She was voted Britain's favorite carp in 2005 by the readers of Angler's Mail because of her sheer size and quirky looks.
Tony Bridgefoot, the owner of the Bluebell Lakes - you can find an explainer of what this area means to anglers in the most monotone video ever made here - was quoted in The Times of London as saying the fishing community has been rocked by Benson's death.
He said the carp, caught and released more than 60 times, had "celebrity status."
And while it was not immediately clear what caused Benson's death, the stench of dead fish is not all that's tainting the country air there. A mystery surrounds how the big fish went to the fry in the sky, with poisoning being a possibility.
Poisoning by nuts.
Apparently fish have problems digesting nuts and a bag of them was found near where Benson popped to the top, reports the Daily Mail.
So grief aside, the question is: Who wanted Benson dead?
Stay tuned.
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