Anglers snag ‘large’ sea creature with dozens of teeth — and prompt new discovery
Anglers in the South China Sea hauled in a “large” sea creature with dozens of teeth — and made a first-of-its-kind catch for Vietnam.
Scientists noticed the “long,” slender fish at a fishing port in Nha Trang in January 2024, Hsuan-Ching Ho and Quang Van Vo wrote in a Sept. 27 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria. Something about it caught their attention, and for good reason.
Researchers identified the fish as Meadia roseni, a species of cutthroat eel previously only recorded in Taiwan.
The Meadia roseni eel caught off Vietnam was “large,” measuring just over 33 inches in length, the study said. It had a “robust” body and “long” head with dozens of teeth.
Photos show the “grayish brown” coloring of the eel soon after it was caught. A row of black spots runs along its side.
Meadia roseni eels were discovered in 1991 and belong to “a small group of moderately slender fishes” also known as arrowtooth eels, the study said.
Researchers described the eel caught near Nha Trang as “the first record of the species outside Taiwan, as well as the first record (in) Vietnam.” The catch suggests this species has a “broader distribution range” than previously thought.
Taiwan and Vietnam both border the South China Sea, a contested body of water in southeast Asia. Nha Trang is a coastal city in eastern Vietnam and a roughly 250-mile drive northeast of Ho Chi Minh City.
