Rare Deep-Sea Angler Fish Spotted Near Canary Islands Coast

It was the NGO Condrik Tenerife, specialized in the research and conservation of sharks and rays in the Canary Islands, that reported the presence of this black devil in the Canarian waters. It came across the giant fish on January 26th near the beach of San Juan, in the municipality of Guía de Isora, in Tenerife, while conducting a research campaign on pelagic sharks.

An unusual occurrence, according to marine biologist Laia Valor, who points out that only larvae or dead adult specimens have been observed so close to the surface. "We saw it as we were returning to port. We passed by it and I saw something black that didn’t look like plastic or anything else, it seemed strange to me. After seeing it, we spent a few hours with it. It was affected and in poor condition, it only lived for a few hours," Valor told EFE.

The biologist notes the abnormal nature of the presence of this specimen so close to the surface, stating that "this may be the first time such a phenomenon has been recorded". After observing the death of the giant fish, Valor and her team transferred its remains to the Museum of Nature and Archeology (Muna) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The reasons for the presence of this black devil in shallow waters are "uncertain" and could be due to illness, upwelling currents or the flight from a predator, it is explained.

"This could be the first observation in the world of an adult black devil or abyssal angler, Melanocetus johnsonii, alive, in broad daylight and on the surface. A legendary fish that few people will have had the privilege of observing alive," the NGO Condrik Tenerife said in an Instagram post. And to specify: "It is a true predator of the depths that lives on the seabed between 200 and 2,000 meters deep..."