Deepest ever fish caught captured in trench near Japan, scientists say
Natalie Neysa AlundIn historic action, fish have been caught more than 5 miles under the ocean's surface and filmed even deeper by a joint Australian-Japanese scientific expedition.
The expedition's chief scientist Alan Jamieson posted on Twitter Monday two snailfish were caught in traps set about 5 miles underwater in the Iza-Ogasawara Trench, south of Japan.
Jamison, professor at The Oceans Institute and the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Western Australia, said both the catch and filming took place during a two-month voyage by a team from the University of Western Australia and the Tokyo University of Marine Science.
Filmed in the Iza-Ogasawara Trench
The snailfish was filmed in the Izu-Ogasawara Trench, near Japan, according to Armatus Oceanic.
The snailfish, of the Pseudoliparis belyaevi species, are the first to be caught below 26,000 feet , Reuters reported.
It wasn't immediately known how big the fish are, but the outlet reported species have been reached lengths close to 4.3 inches.
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Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.