Over two decades ago, Steve Feltham gave up his home, job and girlfriend to move closer to a Scottish loch in pursuit of its monster.  After 24 years of careful watch, Feltham has concluded that we may very well have been catfished by an actual catfish.  As legend has it, Nessie dwells in Scotland's Loch Ness. Sightings have dated back to the 6th century, according to the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register, for whatever that's worth.  In 1991, Feltham sold his house in Dorset in southwest England to devote his time to finding the legendary sea monster. Since that day, according to his website, his home has been an "ex-mobile library van, now based full-time on Dores beach."  "I have set myself to main aims," Feltham says on his website, "firstly to spot Nessie for myself and secondly to bring any current sightings to the public's attention."  Now he's come up with what could be a valid explanation for the countless Nessie sightings. He told Sky News: "Looking at all the evidence, speaking to eyewitnesses, the most likely solution is a Wels catfish."  Wolfgang Richter of Spree Woods Fishery Alt-Schadow presents a living Wels catfish weighing 40 kg and measuring 1.80 m in length in Alt Schadow, Germany, 17 June 2013.  Wels catfish, according to CNN, are caught throughout the world, but are found primarily in Spain and Italy. The freshwater fish are native to Europe, and can grow up to 9 feet long and weigh over 600 pounds.  Feltham told Sky News that he often picks up very large animals on his sonar. Some animals, he says, can reach the size of a car.  "We get sonar contacts with things that are far bigger than any fish that should live in this body of water," he said. "We only get one or two decent sightings a year."  He believes that Wels catfish might be the cause of his sonar readings.  "I have to be honest. I just don't think that Nessie is a prehistoric monster," Feltham told the Times of London. "What a lot of people have reported seeing would fit in with the description of the catfish with its long curved back."  That doesn't mean Feltham has given up completely. "I'm not saying the mystery's solved. I'm still looking for a better explanation than that."  He also doesn't regret the last 24 years — far from it, actually. "I'm in my utopia living here on the shores of the loch," he said.  Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
An expert who has spent 24 years searching for the Loch Ness Monster says it might just be a large catfish.