Researchers Just Filmed The World’s Deepest-Ever Fish Off The Coast Of Japan

Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery of the deepest living fish ever recorded in the North Pacific Ocean.

The fish, an unknown species of snailfish, was found at a record depth of 27,349 feet (8,336 meters) in the Izu-Ogasawara Trench south of Japan. The snailfish belonged to the Pseudoliparis genus and was a small juvenile able to survive at great depths, unlike other deep-sea fish.

The discovery was part of a ten-year-long study into the world’s deepest fish populations by the University of Western Australia and the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. The team captured the snailfish in traps set 26,319 feet (8,022 meters) deep. Previously, the snailfish had only been seen at a depth of 25,272 feet (7,703 meters) in 2008.

This discovery breaks the record previously held by snailfish found in the Mariana Trench, the planet’s deepest point in the Pacific Ocean. The research team used an autonomous deep-ocean vessel and a baited camera to explore the depths. The findings suggest that the deep-sea fish in the Izu-Ogasawara Trench may be more resilient than previously thought.

The Minderoo-UWA Deep Sea Research Centre Director, Alan Jamieson, expressed his excitement about the discovery.

“We have spent over 15 years researching these deep snailfish; there is so much more to them than simply the depth, but the maximum depth they can survive is truly astonishing,” he said.

In addition, Jamieson noted that the snailfish found around Japan were more abundant than in the Mariana Trench. He also mentioned the common misconception about the deep sea as a horrible, scary place that one should avoid, which is an idea that needs to change.

The recent discovery of an unknown species of snailfish in the North Pacific Ocean has broken the previous record of the deepest living fish ever recorded. In addition, the ten-year-long study into the world’s deepest fish populations by the University of Western Australia and the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology has yielded significant findings about the resilience of deep-sea fish.

In addition, this discovery has highlighted the importance of further exploration of the ocean’s depths and changing the deep sea’s negative perception.