A second Megamouth caught in Asian waters this year

This Monday, a Megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) was caught by a Taitung fisherman off the coast of Taiwan.

According to National Taiwan Ocean University’s Department of Environmental Biology and
Fisheries Science, the shark, which was netted off the county’s Chenggong coast, is only the 42nd that has been caught or sighted worldwide and the ninth in Taiwan since the species was discovered in 1976.

Mega mouth shark exhibited at the Aburatsubo Marine

The shark was identified by marine biologist Tien from the Eastern Marine Biology Research
Center (a part of the Council of Agriculture’s Fisheries Research Institute). It was 3.9 meter long, weighed 350 kilograms, and its mouth measured 75 centimeters across when opened.

The shark has now been purchased for NT$18,000 (US$549) by Chen Wen-jung, owner of a local shark museum where the fish will be displayed as a preserved specimen. Wen-jung said he has collected dozens of shark specimens but that this was his first Megamouth.

In late March 2009, a 500-kilogram, 4-meter long Megamouth shark was caught off Burias Island in the Philippines and turned into kinunot.

Big-mouthed but elusive
The Megamouth shark remained unknown to science until November 15, 1976 when a 4.5 meter long specimen became entangled in the sea anchor of a United States Navy ship about 25 miles off the coast off Kaneohe in Hawaii. Since then, the Megamouth has continued to be a rare sight and this deep water shark has for instance only been recorded on film three times.

The Megamouth is named after its gigantic mouth which it uses to filter out plankton and jellyfish from the water. When feeding, Megamouth swims around with its mouth wide open in a fashion similar to the Basking shark. The mouth is surrounded by luminous photophores, which may act as a lure for plankton or small fish. Megamouth can also be recognized on its large head and rubbery lips.