Fishermen's incredibly rare encounter with 'crazy creature' off Aussie coast
Two young skippers reeled in the giant oarfish in the Top End last week despite the usually-hidden animals rarely seen in the ocean.
A remarkable catch by two young fishermen has left Aussies in awe, with some admitting they've never seen anything like it before. And that's probably because the long, slender fish with a horse-like head is hard to come by, an expert told Yahoo News Australia, with the sea animal "rarely seen" in waters around Australia.
A photo of the catch was shared on social media last week showing two Top End skippers holding the mammoth creature, known as an oarfish. "There are only three species with the giant oarfish growing to eight metres in length," Professor Culum Brown from Macquarie University told Yahoo News.
The marine biologist said if people do ever see one, it's usually washed ashore already dead. "They inhabit pretty much the entire ocean in tropical to temperate oceans in waters below 250m so we rarely see them," he said.
'Crazy' oarfish compared to seahorse
When the image was shared on Facebook by Tiwi Islands Adventures, and shared by Fishing Australia TV, many likened the giant fish to a seahorse or mystical creature. The fishermen described it as a "crazy creature".
"Giant sea horse," said someone commenting on the photo. "Surely it’s this big thing from Neverending Story," another said, noting the iconic 80s film. They're also at the centre of many urban myths and legends.
"Oarfish turn up before disasters, old Japanese saying," said one. "It's a bad omen," suggested another. It's often referred to as the "doomsday fish" for this reason.
Speaking to Yahoo, Professor Brown said, "In the past people believed they 'rowed' through the water with their pectoral fins, but in fact they undulate their dorsal fin to move. It may be that these fish are the source of the sea serpent tales."
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Despite the historical references, however, not much is known about them. In fact, it's not exactly clear where they are known to frequent.
It's thought they're found worldwide in all tropical and temperate marine waters. Although without many sightings, it's hard to know for sure. In Australia, there have been few public sightings, according to the Australian Museum.
Mostly around the northern states including NSW, Tasmania, South Australia and southern WA. There have been no recorded sightings in the Top End until now.
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