A rare species of fish, the Emperor Angelfish, was caught in fishing nets in the Bay of Bengal near Kuakata, Patuakhali. The colorful marine fish, scientifically known as Pomacanthus imperator, was brought ashore at Mohipur port on Sunday morning, drawing considerable attention from local fishermen and traders.
Measuring approximately 16 inches in length, the fish features a striking appearance with a deep blue background, yellow horizontal stripes, and a distinctive blue-black facial mask pattern. Local fishermen reported never having seen such a specimen before, describing it as resembling aquarium fish.
Md. Bakhtiar Rahman, a research assistant at WorldFish Bangladesh, confirmed the species as the Angelfish, whose natural habitat lies in coral-rich areas of the Indian and Pacific oceans. These fish generally inhabit warm, saline waters with abundant coral reefs, making their presence along Bangladesh’s muddy and sandy coastline uncommon. He noted that some coral habitats exist in the southwestern part of the Bay, near Myanmar’s Andaman Sea coast.
Rahman further explained that climate change and shifting ocean currents have caused certain marine species to expand their habitats, possibly leading to the fish’s appearance in Bangladeshi waters.
Kolapara Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Apu Saha described the catch as a rare occurrence, noting that the Emperor Angelfish is typically found in deep-sea environments. He added that increased catches of such species could provide significant economic benefits to local fishermen.
