Two 17-year-olds, Manuel Rodríguez Bedia and Iván Álvarez Méndez, caught a 13kg monkfish in Viavélez harbour in the town of La Caridad in western Asturias yesterday.

The fish, which was caught yesterday evening, has caused a great deal of surprise amongst local fishermen, who cannot recall having seen anything like it in the past few decades.

Manuel, from Oviedo, and his friend, Iván, who lives in La Caridad, who don't profess to be great fishermen, told how they felt a strong tug on their line as they fished off the village jetty, and initially thought they'd snagged seaweed.

When they realised they'd actually hooked something big they thought the line was going to break so they borrowed a harpoon from another fisherman nearby.

They were stunned to find that their catch weighed nearly 13 kilos and that it was a monkfish, rarely caught from the shore since they normally live in depths of over 200 metres.

The catch has caused considerable excitement in the area, where even the most veteran fishermen don't recall seeing a fish like it.