Fisherman Catches Mysterious See- Through Fish
caught this see-through shrimp-like creature swimming
near the surface of the ocean.
Stewart Fraser was fishing with sons Conaugh and Finn 43
miles north off the North Island's Karikari Peninsula when
he spotted the translucent 'shrimp' floating near the top of
the water.
Mr Fraser said: 'I was in two minds whether to haul it in,
but curiosity got the better of me and I decided to take a
closer look.
This translucent shrimp-like creature was caught swimming
near the surface of the ocean off New Zealand
'It felt scaly and was quite firm, almost jelly like, and you
couldn't see anything inside aside from this orange little
blob inside it.
The photo baffled Mr Fraser and all of his fisherman
friends, who are still none more the wise as to what the
creature could have been.
Mr Fraser said: 'We have no idea what it could have been
but it was quite something and I'd never seen anything like
it before.'
However, Deborah Cracknell, research lead from the
National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, told MailOnline
she believes the creature is a Salpa maggiore (Salpa
maxima).
Paul Cox, director of conservation and communication at
the National Marine Aquarium, said: 'Little is known about
these salps, however, they are often found in colder seas,
with the most abundant concentration found in the
Southern Ocean.
'The salp is barrel-shaped and moves by contracting,
pumping water through its gelatinous body. It strains the
water through its internal feeding filters, feeding on
phytoplankton from the upper sunlit layer of the ocean.
They have an interesting life-cycle with alternate
generations existing as solitary individuals or groups
forming long chains.
'In common with other defenceless animals that occupy
open water – jellies and hydroids for example – the
translucence presumably provides some protection from
predation. Being see-through is a pretty good camouflage
in water.'
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.
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