A rare deep-water Oarfish was caught in the net of a Thai trawler in the Andaman Sea, about 8 nautical miles from Phuket, on Thursday.
The fish, which is the second to be found in Thai waters, was already dead when it was hauled on board the trawler. It was, however, transferred to another boat bound for the fishing pier in Mueang district, because the trawler which caught it had yet to complete its fishing operations.
On being informed of the find, the provincial fisheries chief, Sitthiphol Muangsong, and officials from the Phuket Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Centre went to the pier to investigate.
The Oarfish remains were in good condition, measured at 2.85 metres long and weighing at 8.6kgs. It was subsequently taken to Thailand’s National Science Museum for more detailed study.
The first dead Oarfish was found in the sea off Satun province on January 4 this year. That one was 2.4 metres long.
