Do You Know? (Fisheries Facts)

• Bagarius bagarius (Dwarf Goonch) is the largest freshwater fish of Bangladesh.
• Blue wheal is the largest animal of the world reaching up to 10 m.
• The oarfish (Regalecus glesne) is the world’s largest teleost, reaching lengths of 8 m to as much as 12 m. Whole specimen are rare.
• Whale shark is the largest fish. Most sharks are harmless- at least to humans. Nevertheless, 25 species of sharks are known to have attacked humans, and at least 12 more are suspected of doing so. Three are particularly dangerous- the great white, tiger and bull sharks.
• Shark jaws display triangular teeth and rows of spears. Each tooth has even small teeth along its edges. It has been estimated that a tiger shark may grow and discard 24,000 teeth in a 10 year period!
• The whale shark (Rhiniadon typus) usually feed by staining plankton from huge mouthfuls of water. It has probably evolved a huge mouth and lost the large teeth of most other sharks not to avoid competition with other sharks but as a specialization for plankton feeding.
• Poison of marine puffer fish is called Tetraodotoxin (TTX) and freshwater puffer fish’s toxin is called paralytic shellfish poison (PSP).
• Sea turtles have glands near the eyes that excrete excess ions, which produce salty “tears”.
• Red tide is the blooms of some dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria (BGA) that discolor the water and produce toxins that, if accumulated in shellfish, cause paralytic shellfish poisoning in human.
• The Romans often used marine motifs in mosaics used to decorate floors and walls.
• The living coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) is an extant member of a group thought to be extinct for 65 million years. Discovered by science in 1938 and restricted to volcanic slopes of the Comoro Islands, the entire species is believed to number less than 500 individuals and is recognized internationally as endangered.

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