Sir,

A recent Tenby Observer photograph of a magnificent bass caught locally has encouraged speculation that this may have been a British Record fish. Having seen a bass of 9kg (19lb 13oz) in a Sicilian fish market, I consider that the Tenby bass would not have been a national record but, almost certainly, would have been a Tenby and district record.

Study of the photograph indicates that the length of the fish is about 8.25 times the length of the four fingers of the right hand holding the fish. If the angler's fingers at the knuckle spanned four inches, this suggests a maximum length of 33 inches. A bass of this length in good condition would weigh around 16lb. Fingers less than 4four inches suggest a length of 31 to 32 inches, say around 14lb, so it is possible that the bass weighed 14-16lb; perhaps nearer the heavier figure.

The good news is that despite the depredations of pair trawling and gill netting, some big fish - possibly solitary - still survive to sustain anglers' optimism.

Philip Morris,

Chichester.