Fossilized pregnant shark caught in fisherman's net.

A trawler caught an 800-kilogram pregnant goblin shark carrying six pups off the northeastern coast of Taiwan.

Fishermen pulled an unusual shark from the deep sea on June 13th. This is the largest goblin shark ever caught in these waters. Initially, they intended to sell it to a restaurant, according to the Taiwan Marine Art Museum, which houses the specimen. The museum has since purchased it for future educational display.

The goblin shark ( Mitsukurina owstoni ) is among the strangest sharks in the ocean. This long-snouted creature is a bottom-dwelling species, meaning it lives in near-bottom waters at depths of 1,200 km. Its jaws, filled with needle-like teeth, protrude to catch prey such as bony fish, squid, and crustaceans, then retract to a resting position below its eyes, according to the Australian Museum. The goblin shark is the only surviving member of the Mitsukurinidae family of sharks, which originated 125 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. Comparisons between current specimens and prehistoric fossils show that they have remained virtually unchanged over time.

Although goblin sharks are typically gray, specimens pulled from the deep sea can appear purplish-pink if blood vessels have been damaged by fishing gear. Images from the museum's Facebook page show the 4.7-meter-long shark with a bulging belly containing six pups. Goblin sharks mate through internal fertilization and are ovoviviparous, meaning the female lays eggs inside her body until they hatch, then gives birth to the young. The shark was accidentally caught by fishermen while casting nets on the seabed.

Marine conservationists condemn this fishing method because it makes it impossible to distinguish what is caught, so fishermen often catch large quantities of animals that accidentally get caught in the nets and then discard them. Research published in the journal Fisheries Research shows that trawling nets account for nearly 60% of the animal waste from fishing operations annually, equivalent to 6 million tons.

Trawling also destroys the seabed, disrupts animal habitats, stirs up sediments, alters the water's chemical composition, and reduces the light necessary for plant photosynthesis. This fishing method is banned in some parts of the world, including 90% of the seabed along the west coast of the United States.

Goblin sharks are rarely observed or photographed in the wild. Much of what researchers know about them comes from accidental captures. They are not listed as endangered due to human activity.

An Khang (According to Live Science )

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