In the shadowy depths of the ocean lives a ribbon-like giant crowned with a fiery red crest — long mistaken for a sea monster. Rarely glimpsed alive, the oarfish holds the record as the world’s longest bony fish, capable of growing up to 8 meters (26 feet). It usually surfaces only by chance, and one such encounter off Sri Lanka marked the first confirmed record of an oarfish in the Indian Ocean, igniting maritime legend and modern science.

The individual, measuring 2.6 m (8.5 ft), was accidentally caught in a surface tuna gillnet set by a multiday fishing vessel off Sri Lanka’s west coast. Curious fishers, unfamiliar with the strange catch, brought it ashore at Beruwala Fishery Harbour, where it was handed over to the authorities.

To read the full story viist https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/first-oarfish-sighting-in-sri-lanka-highlights-citizen-science-in-marine-protection/

Photo credit:  Ishara Rathnasuriya