NO prizes for guessing who picked up the catch of the day title after these three monster-sized fish were hauled from a lake managed by Lymm Angling Club.

Environment Agency fisheries teams removed the three non-native bighead and silver carp, which avergaed 40lbs in weight, from a lake in Shakerley Mere, south of Knutsford after the Lymm club contacted them for specialist help.

Bighead carp and silver carp are native to China and Eastern Asia and live in large rivers and floodplain lakes.

They can grow to significant size, in excess of 100lb and largely feed on phytoplankton and have been widely introduced in Europe and North America as food and sport fish and to improve water quality. But outside of their native range they can be highly invasive, out-competing native fish for food and habitat and introducing parasites and disease and have been described as having an 'alarming' response to danger often jumping out of the water posing the risk of injuries to boaters and anglers.

Andy Eaves, an Environment Agency fisheries officer, said: “Fishery owners play a vital role in our work to tackle non-native species and we encourage any other clubs to contact us if they suspect they are present.

"Our staff netted the fishery and removed three large silver and bighead carp, and no further non-native fish are believed to be present in the lake.

"If left unchecked, non-native fish can pose a serious risk to our fisheries and the economy.

"Where we can contain and eradicate them sustainably, we will take prompt action to remove the."

Big head carp were first recorded in the wild in England in 2005 but it is illegal to stock or keep them in the freshwater environment.

To report a sighting of an invasive fish, e-mail non-natives@environment-agency.gov.uk , call 03708 506506 or visit naturelocator.org/aquainvaders.html