A fisherman has become a phenomenon in his native Japan after catching a four-metre giant squid off the coast of Sadogashima Island.

Shigenori Goto discovered the giant mollusc – measured at 13ft – caught in his fishing net on Wednesday morning, after initially setting out to catch Japanese amberjack fish.

The fisherman was stunned to discover the giant squid trapped in his net, having been caught at a depth of around 70m, about two-thirds of a mile from the coast.

Download the new Independent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

"When I hauled up the net, the squid slowly came floating up," Goto told local media. "This is the first time I've seen such a large squid."

The squid, later confirmed as a male, died shortly after coming to the surface after being brought in from the net.

Local officials took the squid to a government research institute in Niigata for further research.

Giant squids have been known to grow up to 43ft in size. And while the male variety may only reach 150kg, scientists estimate that the female gender can weigh as much as 275kg.

From the archive