UTAH COUNTY, Utah — A Utah couple has a fish tale they'll be able to share for years after snaring a rare albino catfish in Utah Lake.
Jesus and Carmelita Hernandez were out at the lake on Saturday they got the surprise of a lifetime.
Photos and video showed Jesus holding the fish before returning it to the lake.
Catching an albino catfish in the wild is described as a rare occurrence. Their color comes from a recessive trait, with the Missouri Department of Conservation adding that most don't survive because they are more noticeable to predators.
Video below shows rare albino catfish caught in Utah Lake:
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources seemed just as surprised as the couple about the catch.
"Catching a naturally occurring 'wild born' true albino channel catfish is really rare. Given that we haven’t stocked channel catfish in Utah Lake for years, this is likely a wild albino," the agency said. "In a system as big as Utah Lake, catching an albino becomes even more rare."
DWR officials said they actively stock ponds and other waterbodies with Arkansas channel cats, so if it had been caught there, it wouldn't have been as rare.
"But for it to come out of Utah Lake, that’s a rare catch for sure," said DWR.
After the Hernandez's posted their catch to social media, many applauded the moment and shared how happy they were to see it returned to the lake.
