Rare ‘Lynd Surgeonfish’ caught in fishing nets in Bay of Bengal

Rare Lynd Surgeonfish caught in Kalapara.

Patuakhali: A rare species of marine fish ‘Lynd Surgeonfish’ has been caught in fishing nets in the Bay of Bengal adjacent to Kuakata in Patuakhali. This attractive fish with parallel stripes of yellow, blue and black is also known locally as ‘Sundari Fish’.

The fish was brought to the ‘Sifat Fish’ shop of Alipur Fisheries Landing Center at around 11 am on Sunday (July 12).

Earlier, this colorful fish weighing about half a kilogram was caught in the net of a fishing trawler named ‘Mayer Doa’ in the deep sea at around 12 am on Saturday.

The trawler’s skipper Md. Selim said, ‘While fishing in the deep sea, it suddenly got in the net with other fish. I have never seen such a fish before. I have taken special care of it and brought it to the shore because it looks beautiful.’

Local resident Md. Mainul and fisherman Md. Hossain said that even after seeing fish in the sea for a long time, such a strange and beautiful fish is not often seen. They came to see it out of curiosity after receiving the news.

Mizanur Rahman, owner of Sifat Fish and a fish trader, said, ‘This type of fish is not usually found in this coastal area. There is no commercial demand for it in the general market. However, the fish has been collected because of its wonderful beauty.’

According to fisheries experts, the scientific name of the ‘Lined Surgeonfish’ is Acanthurus lineatus. Internationally, it is also known as ‘Blue-banded Surgeonfish’, ‘Zebra Surgeonfish’ and ‘Striped Surgeonfish’. They usually live in coral reefs and rocky areas of the warm marine areas of the Indo-Pacific region. This type of fish mainly survives by eating seaweed and works to maintain the balance of the marine ecosystem. They have a very sharp spine at the base of their tail, with which they defend themselves from enemies.

Research Assistant of the ‘Healthy Sea’ Project (run jointly by WCS and WorldFish), Md. Bakhtiar Rahman said, ‘The spine at the base of the tail of this fish is quite dangerous. If it is hit during self-defense, it can cause severe and excruciating pain to the human body. They are occasionally seen in various areas of the Bay of Bengal, including the St. Martin and Sundarbans coasts of Bangladesh.’

Kalapara Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Apu Saha said, ‘Although this fish is not commonly caught on our coast, it is found in the warm environment of the Bay of Bengal. However, fishermen should be careful while catching it due to the sharp spines on the tail of the fish.’ - Gofran Palash