"Alien Life Form..." Goblin-like 'Magwi Shark' Caught in Taiwan

6 Shark Pups Found Inside Caught Shark
Controversy Arises Over Use of Trawling Method

A rare species, the 'Goblin Shark (Maguishang-eo),' was caught in Taiwan, drawing attention.

According to the China Times on the 14th, fishermen living in Yilan County, Taiwan, caught a deep-sea rare species Goblin Shark measuring 4.7 meters in length and weighing 800 kg. There were six pups inside the caught shark's belly.

A goblin shark caught in Nanfang'ao, Yilan County, Taiwan. [Photo courtesy of Taiwan Ocean Museum]

The Goblin Shark, rarely found worldwide, is also called the Goblin Shark because its long snout, translucent skin, and sharp teeth resemble the goblin characters in novels or movies.

It lives in deep waters below 1000 meters and dislikes sunlight, making it difficult to observe its actual movements, and there is little known information about it. It is very difficult to see a living Goblin Shark or capture it in photos, and in most cases, like this one, they are found dead. It is known to have existed since the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era and is sometimes treated as a living fossil, but it is not an endangered species.

The Goblin Shark caught this time was sold to the Taiwan Ocean Museum in Taoyuan City. The Taiwan Ocean Museum purchased it to create a marine education specimen, preventing it from being sold to restaurants for consumption.

Meanwhile, controversy arose over the capture method when it was revealed that the Goblin Shark was caught by a bottom trawler. Taiwan has not completely banned the use of bottom trawlers, and the shark is a non-target species.

Bottom trawling refers to a fishing method that uses a massive net several kilometers long, dragging it along the seabed to catch fish. The problem is that while many fish are caught initially by dragging the net over a wide area, the seabed becomes devastated like a tropical rainforest after deforestation.

Moreover, if the fish caught by bottom trawling are not the desired species, they are discarded. Especially since more than half of the fish caught by bottom trawling are discarded, most countries legally prohibit or restrict the use of bottom trawling.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.