Trout or salmon? DFO says next week before final decision on Dildo Pond derby dispute

Owen White will have to wait until next week to see if the large fish be landed on the opening weekend of the annual Blaketownderbywill be accepted by organizers.

• Controversy on the hook at Blaketown fishing derby

Controversy has swirled around the derby since White hauled the nearly sixpound fish through a hole in the ice on Valentine's Day.

It's the largest fish by far landed by participants in the derby, which opened last weekend and concludes on Sunday.

But is it a brown trout which is eligible under the derby rules or a salmon, as some have suggested?

An answer to that question was expected on Friday, but experts with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans released a statementsaying it will be another week before the findings are released.

"Where there is so much at stake with the proper identification of this fish, we want to make sure we get it right," a DFO spokesperson stated in an email to CBC News.

"We are conducting additional analysis and should have an answer by next week. Preliminary findings have been provided to the derby operator."

It's not known what those preliminary findings are.

White delivered his fish still alive to the weigh-in table shortly after 2 p.m., on Feb. 14.

He proudly held the arm's length fish high in the air as he walked the distance from his fishing hole, knowing he was likely a contenderfor one of the three major prizes up for grabs.

These include a side-by-side vehicle, all-terrain vehicle and power generator.

The fishtipped the scales at 5.6 pounds, more than doubling the weight of the second-place fish.

Which species?

Almost immediately, questions surfaced surrounding the species of the fish.

The rules clearly state that only brown trout and brook trout are eligible.But a debate has been raging on Facebook about whether the fish is actually a salmon, or some other ineligible species.

In a bid to end the controversy, organizers with Newfoundland and LabradorBuy & Sell Magazine brought the fish to DFO.

As for White, he said he's about100 per cent certain he caughta brown trout. He even challenged other anglers to try and land a bigger fish this weekend.

"Come on up and beat me," he taunted. "That's all I've got to say. I'll catch another one."

Whitehas the support of derby organizer Terry Snow, owner of the Buy & Sell.

"I'm pulling for the guy," Snow said Friday afternoon.

"I'm content with him having the biggest fish."