Friday, July 11, 2025

Fishermen catch rare, 6-meter oarfish off Cozumel

Fishermen from Cozumel, Quintana Roo, encountered a rare, six-meter-long oarfish this week. 

In a video posted to Facebook, the fishermen filmed the bizarre-looking fish they found swimming close to the surface before they gaffed it and brought it on board. It appeared to have suffered a bite wound, the fishermen said, suggesting that was the reason it had left deep water.

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, the oarfish, whose scientific name is Regalecus glesne, can grow to 10 meters long, and weigh up to 270 kilos. It is the longest bony fish in the world.

Because of its bizarre, elongated appearance, it has been associated with sea serpents in some cultures. Japanese legend has it that their appearance is a harbinger of earthquakes and tsunamis, postulating that the oarfish is a messenger sent from the palace of the sea god regarding impending disaster.

The oarfish typically lives at depths of 200 to 1,000 meters and scientists think that it is actually storms or strong currents, rather than an impending seismic disaster, that can push injured fish into shallow waters where they often die.  

The Cozumel oarfish gaffed by a fisherman this week.
The Cozumel oarfish gaffed by a fisherman this week.

Otherwise, the reclusive fish has rarely been seen in its normal habitat, although scientists do know that it is one of the few animal species that can self-amputate; when encountering a predator the oarfish is able to drop up to 75% of its body length and swim away if it feels threatened.

The oarfish, which feeds on plankton, squid and crustaceans, is found worldwide in tropical and temperate waters.

Although sightings in Mexico are rare, two young men from Texas found a juvenile oarfish washed up on the beach of Baja California Sur’s East Cape region in July 2019. They helped oxygenate its gills then guided the fish into deeper waters where it swam off, apparently healthy. 

Source: Infobae (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
A small plane flies over the ocean

How the Mexican security minister’s slip of the tongue rankled Salvadoran President Bukele

2
President Bukele took exception after García Harfuch's identified a drug-smuggling plane as coming from El Salvador.
gold bars

Highway robbery near Guadalajara nets 6 million pesos worth of gold and silver

0
Such open-road heists have risen in frequency recently and could pose a threat to potential investors otherwise attracted by nearshoring opportunities.
Security chief Omar García Harfuch, Attorney General Gertz and other Mexian officials sit on a stage in front of a banner reading "National Strategy against Extortion" in spanish

Authorities launch national strategy against extortion to tackle a pernicious and widespread crime

1
The strategy contemplates new laws that would force states to investigate the crime, even when victims are too afraid to make an official report.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity