Photo by Ágúst

Friday was a great day for fisherman Eysteinn Örn Garðarson after catching a 50 kilo cod while at sea, but a dark day for the rare and majestic giant cod, reports Vísir.

“I’ve been sailing for 16 years but this is the largest cod I’ve ever caught,” said Eysteinn Örn. “It’s not common to find them this big anymore. It was like winning the lottery.”

Eysteinn Örn works on Ágúst GK 95, a ship that sets out from Grindavík and told Vísir that it’s always fun to watch as the net pulls the fish in.

“When the cod flips over [in the net] you can see the white side, that’s how you can gauge whether the cod is large or small,” said Eysteinn Örn. “In this instance I could tell it was going to be a big one so I braced myself to knock him out and get him inside the railing. But it was a hell of an undertaking getting him on board, he’s really heavy.”

Though the sailor is overjoyed and very proud of his catch the cod gets no special treatment and will be processed in the fish factory just like any other fish. The cod won’t be taxidermied or mounted, just cooked and plated.