Benson

Benson (1984 – 4 August 2009) was "Britain's biggest and best-loved" common carp. Benson's popularity was such that she was caught 63 times in 13 years, although the accessibility that made her popular was also the cause of controversy among angling's elite. She has also been referred to as "the people's fish" and was voted by readers of Angler's Mail as Britain's Favourite Carp in 2005. The fish, who was female, was originally one of a pair: her original companion, Hedges, disappeared in a flood of the River Nene in 1998. Both fish were named due to a hole in Benson's dorsal fin that resembled a cigarette burn, in a reference to Benson & Hedges. At her peak weight, in 2006, she weighed . Benson died on 4 August 2009, aged 25. At the time of her death, she weighed the same as a large dog and was worth £20,000. The owner of the lake where she lived alleged that she was accidentally poisoned by anglers using uncooked tigernuts as bait, though evidence points to the contrary (see section on death below). Another possible cause of death was the complications during egg production. Fame Benson lived in the Kingfisher Lake at the Bluebell Lakes complex, at Tansor just outside Oundle in Northamptonshire. She was one of approximately 150 carp in Bluebell Lakes, which are managed "to provide the best environment for growth potential of the fish". Steve Broad, editor of UK Carp magazine, ascribed Benson's fame to "her accessibility":