A DEEP sea fish so rare that it does not even have an English language name has been landed by an Irish fishing vessel in Connemara.
The fish, which bears the scientific name Thalassobathia pelagica, likes to keep the company of monster jellyfish known as Stygiomedusa gigantea.
It was caught at a depth of 28 fathoms on the southwest Porcupine Bank by Rossaveal vessel Maria Magdalena III, which was on a 14-day–long trip for prawns.
The crew, who had been working out towards the 200-mile limit, first thought it might be a type of catfish, according to Sea Fisheries Protection Authority officer Siubhán Ní Churraidhín.
On returning to Rossaveal, they presented it to her and she confirmed its unusual identity with colleague and rare fish expert Declan Quigley.
Mr Quigley estimates that less than two dozen of these fish have ever been recorded on the planet, and one previous Irish specimen is now in the Natural History Museum in London. It was caught 60 miles northwest of Donegal in 1967.
Thalassobathia pelagica seems to associate frequently with giant jellyfish, particularly Stygiomedusa gigantea, he notes. The latter species has 20-foot-long arms which envelope prey for immediate digestion.
The jellyfish, which has not yet been landed here but has been filmed by Discovery Channel in the Gulf of Mexico, appears to have no appetite for its symbiotic friend.
Several other Rossaveal vessels have also landed unusual catches in the last few days. A silver dory was caught at the back of the Aran Islands by the Roisín Bairbe, owned by father and son Pádraig Gerard and Gerard McDonagh.
A rare shad, which is a large member of the herring family, was also netted near Aran by the Oileán an Óir.
Two species of shad, known as twaite and allis, are among the rarest species breeding in Irish freshwater – migrating to sea where they spent more of their lives.
The Sea Protection Authority, Marine Institute and Bord Iascaigh Mhara have been appealing to fishermen for more information on the shad.
