On Sunday, a beachgoer got quite a surprise when he found a 2.6 meter long fish in the middle of the beach.
The fish was dead and washed ashore.
The fish has turned out to be less of a sensation, as there is a king herring that has only been found twice before in Denmark.
– It is the fish that has given life to the myth of sea snakes, says Henrik Carl, who is responsible for the Fish Atlas, which belongs to the Norwegian Natural History Museum.
– You know of a specimen that is eight meters long, so you can understand that some have seen it as a monster, says Henrik Carl, who is delighted by the find.
The king herring has only been found twice before in Denmark.
The first time was 23 March 1990, when one specimen drifted ashore on Læsø and the second time on 23 May 2009, when another specimen drifted ashore at Hirtshals.
Only the fish from Læsø was in such good condition that it was preserved and stored at the Norwegian Natural History Museum.
The king herring is the world’s longest bony fish, but not much is known regarding the fish, as it lives in the free water masses of the big oceans.
– It has been captured very few times and filmed very few times. That is why it is very interesting for science when you find a fine specimen, says Henrik Carl.
Can “break”
There are immediately two species of the king herring, one in the tropical areas and one in the temperate areas.
They look quite similar, says Henrik Carl.
Although the king herring can grow up to eight metres, it is rare for them to grow that long.
When king herring grows to around one and a half metres, it happens that many “vomit”. Then a new tail grows out. When the new tail has grown out – and the fish has become slightly larger than with the previous tail – the fish can “break” once more.
– It is somewhat the same as we see in lizards, says Henrik Carl.
Shell preserves for research
It was Johannes Nikutta who made the sensational discovery of the herring king on the beach east of Hanstholm on Sunday.
– He didn’t know it was a king herring, but went home and found out that it was quite rare. That’s why he went down to the beach and wrapped it in a tarpaulin and buried it in the sand, says Henrik Carl.
Johannes Nikutta contacted the North Sea Oceanarium, who contacted Henrik Carl at Fiskeatlas.
On Wednesday, Henrik Carl goes to Hanstholm to pick up the king herring, which has been put in a freezer at the harbour.
– I am super happy that the fish was found so quickly and that it was well looked following, he says.
The king herring, which according to Henrik Carl has suffered damage to the head from seagulls but is otherwise well preserved, will be examined and DNA samples will be taken, which will be used for research. The fish will then be preserved.
– It is something researchers travel around the world to study, he says.
2024-04-23 18:57:31
#Rare #sea #snake #beach #North #Jutland
