Powerful Undersea Earthquake Shakes Up New Fish In Penghu

October 18, 2005

Release from: Liberty Times

A fishing boat from Longmen in Penghu County, the Longzhong, was in 10 meters of shallow water under the command of Captain Chen Jindeng when he discovered a strange fish. On Monday the Penghu Marine Biology Research Center confirmed that this is a new species for Penghu, and is tentatively identified as Commersons frogfish (Antennarius commerson).

Many here suspect that the fish was discovered in the waters off Penghu as a result of the recent strong earthquake centered near Keelung.

Captain Chen spotted the fish in shallow water. It was quite ugly in appearance, and its two fins looked like human feet. Chen was curious and brought it onshore, where many people came to take a look.

After the Penghu Marine Biology Center heard the news, they sent a researcher to buy the fish. The final price negotiated was NT$2000.

Cai Wansheng, director of the center, says that it has been confirmed that this fish is an Antennarius species. There are 33 different types distributed worldwide, with six known in Taiwan. Two species have been seen in Penghu, including the striped anglerfish. Some species look like a child, and are sometimes called "child fish" in the Minnan dialect. However, they grow to a maximum of about 10 cm, and this fish was 36 centimeters long, and looked quite different, proving that it was a new visitor to Penghu.

Based on the scientific literature about fish species in Taiwan, the strange fish was identified as a Commersons frogfish, which are 1.32 times as long as they are tall. The body features forked spines and green protuberances, and the bony fins are very long, about 1.6 times the length of the second spine. The body is pink with many tiny brown spots, and two larger spots shaped like eyes, one located one-third of the way up the base of the dorsal fin and the other to the rear of the pectoral fin.

Since this species comes from Jilong and nearby Sandiao, there was no record of its having been caught in Penghu. Additionally, with a recent 7.0 earthquake in the ocean near Keelung, the fishermen in Penghu believe that this might be behind the new species' appearance in Penghu. However, the final word will have to come from expert ichthyologists after further study.