Fishermen caught a 3 meter long, 66 kg oarfish at sea

While fishing for marlin at sea, a group of fishermen unexpectedly caught a 3 meter long, 64 kg oarfish.

A group of men were fishing for marlin in the Sea of ​​Cortez off the coast of Baja California Sur in Mexico when they noticed something thrashing around in the water. They then noticed sharks biting into the tail of an oarfish . 

An oarfish attacked by a school of sharks. (Photo: Jam Press/Pisces Sport Fishing Fleet)

They tried to reach into the water and pull the still-living fish into the boat to protect it. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the oarfish died shortly after. The fish they caught was about 3 meters long and weighed about 64 kg.

The group then brought the fish's body to a marine biologist group in La Paz for study.

The fish was brought ashore for study by marine biologists (Photo: Jam Press/Pisces Sport Fishing Fleet)

Oarfish can grow up to 16 metres long and weigh more than 200 kilograms. They live deep in the ocean, at depths of 200 to 1000 metres.

As a result, sightings of this fish are extremely rare, and part of the reason is because it is believed that seeing them on the shore or near the water is a sign that something bad is about to happen - often, locals believe that they signal natural disasters, hence their nickname "earthquake fish" .