Trawlers snag ‘large'-eyed sea creature in a first-of-its-kind catch for India
It turned out to be a first-of-its-kind record.
A team of scientists visited a fish landing center in Kollam, Kerala, in November 2023 to see what local trawlers were bringing in. Their focus wasn't the main hauls but rather the accidental catches, according to a study published July 18 in the peer-reviewed journal Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria.
During the visit, researchers noticed four 'light brown' eels, the study said. Intrigued, they took a closer look at the fish and identified them as blackedge cusk eels, or Ophidion muraenolepis.
Blackedge cusk eels are a poorly known fish species found throughout 'the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific' from Indonesia to Hawaii, researchers said. The Kerala trawlers' catch is 'the first record of this species in Indian waters and the western Indian Ocean.'
A photo shows one of the blackedge cusks caught off Kerala. The fish has 'large' 'pale greyish brown eyes,' a 'large' mouth and 'basket weave pattern scales,' the study said. As its name implies, its tail fin is edged with a 'black margin.'
Information about blackedge cusk eels is 'scarce,' but the species's lifestyle is probably similar to that of other cusk eels, the study said.
Generally, cusk eels are 'rare' and 'exhibit cryptic, burrowing behavior during (the) day making them more difficult to capture,' researchers said. Their eggs are 'encapsulated within a gelatinous mass,' and their diet 'primarily consists of small crustaceans,' such as shrimp.
Researchers identified the blackedge cusk eels in Kerala by their coloring, fin shape and other subtle physical features.
'These findings underscore the importance of increased scientific investment towards comprehensive biodiversity assessments and taxonomic research focused on the ichthyofauna (fish) of the Indian Ocean,' the study said.
The research team included Teena Jayakumar, Ronald Fricke, T. T. Ajith Kumar and Uttam Kumar Sarkar.
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