Rare Fish Narrowbody Handfish Spotted at 960 Feet Depth in Tasmania 25 Years After Last Sighting

Scientists discovered a very rare fish during an expedition that had not been seen for 25 years. The team managed to film a narrowbody handfish at 960 feet beneath Tasmanian seas.

960 Feet Into The Waters of Tasmania

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), an Australian government organization in charge of scientific research, conducted the mission that produced the sighting in July.

According to a news statement from CSIRO, researchers on board the research vessel (RV) Investigator discovered what they believe to be a narrowbody handfish, Pezichthys compressus, while using the ship's deep tow camera system.

In the Australian state of Tasmania, near Flinders Island, at a depth of about 960 feet, the object was seen.

25 Years Since Its Last Sighting

The archipelago, also the state's territory, with a major island and around a thousand minor islands, which is situated roughly 150 miles south of the southeast corner of the continental United States.

The waterways of southeast Australia are home to about 14 species of handfish, a type of coastal anglerfish. Seven of these species are unique to Tasmania and the Bass Strait, the body of water separating the island nation from the rest of the world.

It's famously difficult to find handfish. For instance, the CSIRO made their initial discovery of the narrowbody handfish in 1986, but it wasn't observed again until 1996. Only two specimens in the CSIRO's Australian National Fish Collection provide information about the species.

Very Rare Narrowbody Handfish

The narrowbody handfish is now thought to be the species observed during the most recent research excursion, according to CSIRO scientists.

Onboard the RV Investigator, marine scientist Candice Untiedt assisted in locating the tiny handfish in the photographs captured by the deep tow camera.

Untiedt exclaimed in delight when she spotted the handfish. According to her, the chances of spotting one in this setting and getting a photo of it with the deep-tow camera are quite slim. It's a significant finding.

Untiedt was very certain it was a handfish since, as she pointed out, they had very distinguishing traits and a unique shape. A handfish expert from her team, Carlie Devine, came on board to support Untiedt's findings.

CSIRO scientists "suspect" that what they saw was a narrowbody handfish, however, the specimen is substantially larger than both of those that have been previously documented, according to research technician Devine. Additionally, it was seen about 60 miles from the species' present known location.

Devine claimed that it is impossible to identify the species of handfish with absolute certainty. Without encountering other people or obtaining a sample fish, this is the closest the team can get.

On this trip, Devine was really hoping to get a deep-water handfish on camera.

Other Creatures Seen During the Expedition

Researchers also discovered some other fascinating things while at sea. For instance, scientists discovered a kind of sea toad called a vividly colored tassled coffinfish, Chaunax fimbriatus. These deep-sea anglerfish inhabit the surface just above the ocean floor.

They also discovered an entire pyrosome, which is defined as a peculiar colony of between hundreds and thousands of individual zooids with a cylindrical or cone-shaped structure.