It's a salmon! Dildo Pond derby fish disqualified after DNA tests

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans saystest results from its lab in Nova Scotia have confirmed that the biggest fish caught in a Valentine's Day derby on Dildo Pond is a salmon, not a trout.

It means the 5.6-pound fish landed by angler Owen White is disqualified under the rules ofthe annual competition, hosted by Buy &Sell Magazine.

• Angler vowing legal action if fish disqualified from Dildo Pond derby
• Trout or salmon? DFO says next week before final decision on Dildo Pond derby dispute

So what's next for magazine owner Terry Snow?

"I don't know yet. I'm still waiting," Snow said Friday.

He said a fisheries officer also confiscated the second biggest fish landed in the derby and he doesn't know what happened to it.

"There's really not a whole lot of fun in this for me right now," said Snow.

There are more than $30,000 worth of prizes, including a Honda side-by-side vehicle, up for grabs.

What are the options?

Snow said his dilemma is that many fishers didn't bother to weigh their catch after seeing the top contenders.

"I don't have fish number five or six or seven because they were thrown back into the pond," he said.

How big a list does he have?

"Not enough."

Snow said he will try to find a solution by next week.

"I gotta find a way that is fair that everybody will accept. Prizes will be awarded. I'm just not sure how."

Snow said one option is to hold a raffle.

"The other one is do we put a rule in place allowing everythingcaught to be accounted for?"

That means salmon would be eligible, instead of limiting entries to brown trout.

Owen White, meanwhile, said he's not giving up.

"I'm going to seek legal advice," he told CBC Friday. "Why should Ihave to suffer for their lack of due diligence?"

White said the derby organizers should have known what species of fish were in the pondand made arrangements to keep contenders alive in a holding tank, since it's not legal to catch and keep salmon.

Snow said given the hundreds of competitors taking part in the derby, fisheries officers should keep a closer eye on the event.

"They don't need an invitation," he said.