Four specimens of the belt fish (Regalecus glesne) were found during the winter in the Adriatic Sea, announced the Croatian Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries.
It is about, as they stated, a giant among fishes, the longest bony fish in the world that can reach eight meters and more.
“Regardless of its size, the interesting thing is that encounters with this type of fish are extremely rare. This is best reflected by the fact that, before the recent findings, this fish was only recorded three times in the Adriatic, which means that in the past few months we have more than doubled the number known findings,” the Institute stated.
The Institute points out that only about 60 encounters with this type of fish have been registered in the entire Mediterranean, mostly in its western part.
“The belt fish spends its life in the water column where it feeds on planktonic organisms, smaller fish and cephalopods. It mostly does this by passively “floating’” in a vertical position. Due to this way of life, this fish is difficult to spot by diving, and there are no fishing tools that can easily catch it. “, added from the Institute.
The most common encounters with this fish are because of this, when they are stranded on the shore for some reason, reports the Croatian media.
“Even three recently found individuals were found on the coast, while one individual in the transitional larval stage was recorded alive. The Mediterranean findings, like our Adriatic ones, were not fish close to their maximum length,” the Institute added.
