Got A Rare Catch
- I was pretty big in my eyes when I saw the odd fish in the net, admits Hansen, who has not seen a similar nature during his 24 years as a professional fisherman.
Nor do his colleagues in the boat knew what fish it was. Thus, the rare fish brought to land and fish breeding Williksen at Rørvik.
The fish are not weighed, but Hansen assumes that it is about 20 pounds.
After further investigation it turns out that fish is a moon fish ( mola mola ) or lump fish as it also known, a species with unique characteristics. It seems as if the body ends just behind the head, after the dorsal fin . The round body with the thick and leathery skin, the fish looks like a small planet , especially when it lies in the surface and reflect sunlight , according to marine biologists.
Healthy, but not for sale
Although the species thrive best in the south, both in temperate and tropical waters, it happens that the moon fish take a trip along the Norwegian coast. It has been found as far north as the coast of Finnmark.
- We have never seen it here, confirms Nils Other Williksen at Williksen at Rørvik.
The fish is now displayed in a store in Namsos.
Månefisken is not of commercial interest in Europe , where it is not allowed to sell fish. The prohibition applies because the population is small and vulnerable.
In Japan and Taiwan , the fish is considered a delicacy.
- The fish is said to be both healthy and good, tells Nils Other Williksen .
Huge in spawning
Moon Fish are easy to spot as it often swims at the surface in search of plankton, juvenile and small animals. In his hunt for food can go down to over 350 meters
Månefisken eat mostly jellyfish, but also plants and small fish. They seen are often "floating "near the water surface where they basked in the sun before they go down deeper, colder water to find food.
During spawning spreads moon the fish enormous amounts of eggs , up to 300 million eggs.