Fisherman catches strange, 'dinosaur-like' creature
Oscar Lundahl claims that despite its ugly appearance, the fish was actually quite tasty. (Oscar Lundahl)
This definitely counts as a once-in-a-lifetime catch.
A fisherman was shocked when he reeled in a bizarre, alien-looking creature from the water. The strange animal had large bulbous eyes that made it look like something truly out of this world.
Oscar Lundahl nearly “jumped out his fishing boat” when he pulled the strange creature into his boat, The Sun reports. Photos of the fish reveal its large eyes and comparatively small body.
Lundahl, a fishing guide for Nordic Sea Angling, was reportedly fishing for blue halibut off the coast of the island of Andoya in Norway when he made the catch. He was apparently fishing in 2,600 feet of water at the time.
Oscar Lundahl claims that his colleague identified the creature as a ratfish, a relative to the shark that is rarely caught. (Oscar Lundahl)
He told The Sun, “We were looking for blue halibut which is a rare species about 5 miles offshore. I had four hooks on one line and felt something quite big on the end of it. It took me about 30 minutes to reel it in because it was over 2,600 feet deep.”
The strange-looking fish wasn’t his only catch of the day. He said, “There were two halibut on two of the hooks and I was really happy about that and then I saw there was something else. It was pretty amazing. I have never seen anything like it before. It just looked weird, a bit dinosaur-like. I didn't know what it was but my colleague did.”
The fish is apparently a ratfish, a relative of the shark that reportedly dates back 300 million years. They live in deep water and apparently very rarely caught.
Lundahl claims that due to the extreme change in pressure, the ratfish didn’t survive the experience. Not wanting to waste it, Lundahl claimed that he took the fish home and fried it up. Despite its ugly appearance, it was really tasty,” he told The Sun. “It is a bit like cod but tastier.”