Dixon Lake is one of the most well known spots for anglers, and it was all thanks to a single bass. Dottie was her name, and - at one point - she weighed 25 pounds, 1 ounces. But she will never be caught again after she was found dead on the shore last Friday. Dottie was a massive fish, measuring 29 1/2 inches. While only 19 pounds at death, experts say she probably spawned her eggs and died soon after. She was most noted for a birthmark beneath her gill, a black dot; hence the name.

Reports had initially said that six sea lions in the Columbia River had been gunned down. It's now believed, however, that their deaths were not a result of gunshots after all. Recent bans on salmon fishing on the Weast Coast may have inspired fisherman who depend on the salmon for their livelihoods to corner the market, so to speak, by eliminating their fiercest competitor - the sea lion.

A device attached to surf boards to repel sharks and protect surfers from getting attacked by the sea predator failed during an actual test off South Africa on Friday when a great white shark ate it. The failure of the Shark Shield's emitted electric field to deter sharks from approaching the board caused the sale of the device manufactured by Australian firm Shark Shield Pty. Ltd. to be suspended.

A fishing town in Japan has declared its all-out support for Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and for good reason too; the city and the senator share the same name. The Illinois senator took time to send city leaders a letter thanking them for their support, according to Mayor Toshio Murakami. "I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the city of Obama for your support and encouragement and thank you for your thoughtful gift. We share more than a common name. We share a common planet and common responsibility. I look forward to a future marked by the continued friendship of our two great nations and shared commitment to a better, freer world," Obama wrote in the letter.

Crews from a Canadian warship involved in an anti-terrorism patrol of the Arabian Sea have found more than four tons of hashish from a Pakistani fishing boat they intercepted on Feb. 18. The Canadian crews of the frigate HMCS Charlottetown found the cargo of illegal drug hidden under the deck planks and fuel tanks of the dhow named Al Moula Madad after a 17-hour search. The crews boarded the vessel 37 miles (60 kilometers) off Pakistan's coast to verify reports that it is being used by terrorists.