Fisherman stunned after catching massive ‘dinosaur fish’ thought to be extinct: ‘I nearly fell over’
After almost 40 years of absence from Ireland’s waters, the caviar sturgeon has made a sudden reappearance, the Irish Post reported.
Declan O’Sullivan, skipper of the Portmagee trawler the Trinity, was the fortunate man who caught the six-foot-long fish off the coast of Valentia Island in County Kerry. Not immediately recognizing the species, he took pictures and sent them to marine biologist Kevin Flannery, director of Dingle Oceanworld.
“I nearly fell over,” Flannery told the Irish Independent. “To see this fossil species, this dinosaur fish, back in our waters is incredible. They were thought to be extinct here.”
Prior to this fish — and the second specimen that O’Sullivan claimed to have seen swimming just out of reach — the last sturgeon catch in Ireland was in 1987, when one was landed near Kish Lighthouse off Dublin. The fish, associated with royalty and prized for their caviar, were fished to extinction in the area. They had already almost vanished by the 1970s.
That’s a tragic ending to the story of a fish species that has survived for more than 100 million years, making it one of the oldest species of fish in the world. It has also meant the loss of a food resource that many enjoyed and relied upon for much of the history of the area.
The return of this fish, even in small numbers, may signal that it’s time to renew reintroduction efforts. The Irish Wildlife Trust and Blue Marine Foundation have put forward plans to make it a reality.
According to the Irish Post, IWT’s Pádraic Fogarty said, “We need to see a more concerted effort to reintroduce species to Ireland that have been driven to extinction. The sturgeon should be a priority. It’s a magnificent animal, and restoring its habitat benefits many other species as well.”
Britain has recently published its Sturgeon Conservation Strategy and Action Plan 2023-2033, and conservationists say that Ireland needs to be part of the effort.
“Nature doesn’t recognise borders,” said Adrian Gahan of the Blue Marine Foundation, per the Irish Post. “And neither should our conservation efforts. This rediscovery is a reminder that with collaboration and commitment, lost species can return.”
Meanwhile, there is now a plant-based alternative to caviar — so hopefully that will take some of the pressure off when it comes to fishing for sturgeon.
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