Cops Crack Fish-Filching Mystery of Big Mama

Police say they know who put the hook on Big Mama.

That’s the fishy South Bay mystery that officers solved Wednesday after the beloved 50-pound halibut--who contributed millions of eggs to boost halibut populations statewide--was stolen from her hatchery tank, along with 19 other fish.

Police say a man whose name was not immediately released was picked up at his home in Hermosa Beach on Wednesday after officers were told that he had tried to sell the late Big Mama to fish wholesalers.

Police would not reveal if Mama’s body had been recovered, but said some dead fish were found at the suspect’s home.

Before she died, Big Mama put up a big fight.

Halibut are fierce warriors, and that’s probably why the fishnapper apparently used an iron pole to spear and subdue Big Mama and other fish before netting them out of the tank at the California Halibut Hatchery in Redondo Beach.

“They were trying to kill those fish. There’s no way they could have lifted them out without killing them,” said Jim Rounds, manager of the state’s only halibut hatchery, part of whose mission is to breed fish that can be released into the wild to replenish populations.

The hatchery is popular with schoolchildren, who tour it to learn about sea biology. Big Mama has been the star of that show for many years.

Staff biologist Gwen Lattin discovered Sunday morning that some fish were missing from the 5,000-gallon open-air tank. Then, she saw ominous signs of a mighty struggle. Algae that usually lie in the tank were strewn on the ground. A bloody trail led from the tank to the gate by the street. The iron pole that presumably had been used as a spear lay nearby. On the tank, Lattin saw bloody handprints.

Rounds said he initially suspected that the thief or thieves planned to put Mama on ice for a few weeks, and then try to pass her off as a freshly caught specimen in order to capture first place in upcoming halibut fishing contests in the Santa Monica Bay area.

“I don’t want to shed any negative light on the fishing tournaments, but that was the first thing that crossed my mind,” Rounds said. “Even though I’m pretty sure we could detect it if they tried.”

Another possible motive--a big meal--was equally fishy. “That’s a lot of fish to eat, unless they’ve got a big deep freeze. Maybe they could sell them to a fish market,” the hatchery manager added.

The market value of the stolen fish is estimated at less than $3,000. But officials think it will cost $20,000 and $50,000 to replace the breeding stock. Bringing fish alive from the ocean means chartering a boat, catching them unhurt and transporting them in expensive tanks. Even then, many fish cannot survive in captivity, and it takes at least two years for a halibut to acclimate to a tank enough to be willing to spawn in it, Rounds said.

Big Mama, who was about 25 years old, was irreplaceable. Although halibut can grow to 70 pounds, it is rare to find them over 20 pounds, especially in captivity.

Many of the fish remaining in the tank were injured by jabs from the pole and are now in shock. Some of them will probably die, Rounds said.

Giancarlo Cetrulo, who is the educational director of Science Education Adventure Laboratory, a nonprofit group that brings schoolchildren to the hatchery, predicted that youngsters will be very upset when they learn about the loss.

“Big Mama was the only fish the kids saw that was bigger than them. That was really impressive to them,” Cetrulo said.