The Red Handfish (Thymichthys politus) is quite possibly the rarest fish on Earth, with less than 40 known individuals surviving in the wild. Now, divers have found a new population which doubles the known numbers of the species.
A team of divers from IMAS and the citizen science project Reef Life Survey (RLS) have discovered a new population of what is believed to be the world’s rarest fish.
Image credits: Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS)Handfish is a generic name which accounts for 14 species in the coastal waters of southern Australia and Tasmania. Handfish are known for moving around by walking on the sea floor rather than swimming, with their highly modified fins which resemble hands, thus lending them their name.
Most handfish species are vulnerable to extinction, but the Red Handfish is critically endangered, with the only known population residing in Frederick Henry Bay near south-east Tasmania – a site which covers just 50 metres by 20 metres (165 x 65 feet). Now, divers have found a new area which hosts the species.
It all started when a member of the public reported seeing an individual handfish. This sent divers and biologists on a frantic search. After two days, the teams were almost ready to give up the search, when they finally found one. IMAS Technical Officer Antonia Cooper spotted the first fish when she had all but abandoned hope.
“We were diving for approximately three and a half hours and at about the two hour mark we were all looking at each other thinking this is not looking promising,” Ms Cooper said. “My dive partner went to tell…
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