Society

Fish filmed at a record depth of 8,178 meters

Aug 25 (NHK) - A Japanese research team, in cooperation with NHK, has succeeded in filming a fish swimming at a depth of 8,178 meters in the Pacific Ocean -- the deepest ever recorded.

Scientists believe the maximum depth a fish can survive is 8,200 meters. Beyond that, their cells are assumed to no longer function due to the water pressure.

In May this year, in an attempt to prove that hypothesis, the team at the Japan Agency of Marine-Earth Science and Technology, or JAMSTEC, lowered unmanned observation equipment to a depth of 8,178 meters in the Mariana Trench. The probe was equipped with super high-definition 4K cameras provided by NHK. Mackerel were used as bait.

First, shrimps showed up. The cameras captured a fish, swimming slowly, 17 and a half hours later.

The fish, about 20 centimeters long, is a translucent white. Its distinguishing feature is its big head and slender, eel-like tail. It is thought to be a species of deep-sea snailfish.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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