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Observation by Nicolas Massias, posted on Facebook group "Pêcheurs du Vars".
The observer was standing in the water, with water level slightly above the knees (estimated water depth: 0.8 m). Estimate size: 25 cm. The fish was standing on the floor, covered by debris of Posidonia oceanica. The observer saw the fish swimming, and caught it by the tail. As a fisherman, he knew that the fish was unusual, and thus took pictures of it with his smartphone. The observer then released the fish, which took refuge in the seagrass debris.

The tail (not visible in the photos) is described by the observer as 'pointed, as in a conger'. This fish is probably a Liparidae. According to Dr. Samuel Iglésias (Natural History Museum of Paris): 'This is a particularly spectacular and intriguing observation as there are only two species in the Mediterranean: Paraliparis leptochirus, which I have collected 3-4 times in the depths of the Medits and which doesn't look like it at all, and the species Paraliparis murieli Matallanas, 1984, known only from the holotype. This is the only possibility among the known species in the Mediterranean. However, the color of the body doesn't seem to match the description... The small appendage that seems to be visible at the base of the anal fin is also intriguing. It resembles an underdeveloped external reproductive organ, observed in some fish families of the deep sea, but normally not in Liparid fishes. Therefore, we cannot completely exclude a juvenile from another family.'

Additional notes: The coloration of the fish suggests a species from the abyssal or even hadal zone. It is reasonable to exclude the hypothesis of fishing bycatch: the fish, alive and in good condition, would not have survived an ascent in a trawl net.

Copyright: Nicolas Massias.

Julien Renoult for the iFWF team