After spending more than two decades searching for the Loch Ness monster, Steve Feltham has come to conclude that the legendary creature is nothing more than a giant catfish.

The Loch Ness monster first achieved notoriety in 1933 after a newspaper story described not a monstrous head or hump, but instead a splashing in the water that appeared to be caused "by two ducks fighting." A famous photograph showing a mysterious head and neck brought Nessie international fame, however, it was discovered to be a hoax decades later, reports Live Science.

Still, that has not deterred enthusiasts like Feltham, 52, from searching for the elusive beast. However, after a 24-year vigil, Feltham says that his research leads him to believe that the elusive beast is actually a catfish.

"Looking at all the evidence, speaking to eyewitnesses, the most likely solution is a Wels catfish," said Feltham, who holds a Guinness World Record for his continuous search for Nessie, to Sky News.

Wels catfish can grow up to be 13 feet in length and 880 pounds. Plus, they can survive for decades. According to Reuters, they are not native to the United Kingdom, but were introduced to the loch in the 19th century for sport fishing.

"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."

Feltham left his home and girlfriend in 1991 to go looking for Nessie in Scotland's Loch Ness. Since then, he has lived in a caravan on the lake shore, scanning the waters.

Despite his belief in the catfish theory, Feltham says that he plans to keep searching for a definitive conclusion to explain the mystery behind the enigmatic beast.

"The current frontrunner is the Wels catfish. It's the most likely explanation. I'm not saying it's the final explanation. It ticks most of the boxes with sightings -- but it doesn't tick them all," he told AFP.

"We still have this world-class mystery and for the next several decades I hope to carry on trying to find the answer," he said.