New species of fish documented in Oman

Muscat : A new type of fish has been documented in Omani waters, known as Eel. It was caught in the Kumzar area in ​Musandam Governorate. 

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources said in a statement :"The Marine and Fisheries Science Center at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources announced the documentation of a new type of fish in Omani waters, the Eel." 

The fish was caught َin the Kumzar in the Musandam Governorate in the Arabian Gulf by threads at a depth of up to 116 meters by the fisherman Mohammed bin Hassan Al Kumzari, who is a member of the fishing hobbyist network who thankfully communicated and cooperated with the specialists at the Center for Marine and Fisheries Sciences and informed them about the fish to conduct an inspection and ensure the accurate scientific classification of the species. 

The Center indicated that this type of eel family Ophidiidae is a group of marine bony fish, which fall under the Ophidiiformes. Its scientific name comes from the Greek word (Ophis), which means snake , and refers to its snake-like appearance. This family includes about 240 species, grouped in 50 genera of fish.

There are about eight species of fish belonging to the Ophidiidae family that were previously documented in the waters of the Sultanate (Field Atlas of Omani Coastal Fish, 2018). Spottobrotula persica.In addition to these species, another species of these fish has recently been reported for the first time in Omani waters which was Spottobrotula persica. This type of fish lives in temperate and tropical oceans all over the world. It lives near the bottom of the sea, starting from shallow waters to the Hadal zone.

This scientific recording and documentation is a great addition to the biodiversity balance in the Sultanate's seas.