'Lion fish' caught in fishing nets in Bay of Bengal

Gofran Palash, Kalapara (Patuakhali): A rare species of marine fish 'Lion fish' has been caught in fishermen's nets in the deep Bay of Bengal adjacent to Kuakata in Patuakhali. It has long fins and poisonous thorns with red, white and maroon stripes all over its body. It is very beautiful to look at but dangerous. This fish is also known locally as 'airplane fish'.

On Sunday (July 12), the fishermen brought the fish to the 'Mayer Doa Fish' shop at the Alipur Fisheries Landing Center in the late afternoon.

Earlier, on Saturday night, two of these beautiful fish weighing 750 grams were caught in the nets of a fishing trawler named 'FB Jaber', 70 kilometers away from the sea. An eager crowd gathered to see the fish.

The trawler's boatman Md. Asad said, "I was pulling the net late at night when suddenly these two fish got caught in the net along with different species of fish. I have never seen such fish before. The two colorful fish look like airplanes."

Mohammad Sohag, the owner of Mayer Doa Fish, said, "This type of fish is not usually found in this coastal area. I sold the two fish to buyer Sagir Akon for Tk 3,750 per kg at a price of Tk 5,000."

Buyer Sagir Akon said, the two fish are very beautiful and attractive. That is why I bought them. I will preserve the fish.

Md. Bakhtiar Rahman, a research assistant at the 'Healthy Sea' project (run jointly by WCS and WorldFish), said, "This fish is occasionally caught in fishermen's nets along the coast of Bangladesh, including the Indo-Pacific Ocean, the Red Sea and our Bay of Bengal. They live around coral reefs. The 18 spines on the back of this fish are highly poisonous. If stung, it can cause severe pain, swelling, vomiting, dizziness, and difficulty breathing.'

Kalapara Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Apu Saha said, 'This fish is not commonly seen on our coast. If you remove the thorns and the poisonous insides, you can eat the meat. In America and the Caribbean, it is considered an "invasive species". Its meat is white and delicious.

It is a very valuable fish for aquariums. But in the sea, it eats other small fish, so it is harmful to the environment.'