In ancient China, people regarded huge fishes as messengers from the palace of the sea world, resided by sea gods.
If fishermen accidentally catch one of these sea world’s messengers, there will be consequences- If they release the fish, they will be rewarded with money or a rare treasure and if they kill it, mishap will befall them, according to ancient Chinese mythology.
Many fishermen nowadays still believe in these ancient folktales. In July 2009, villagers in Malaysia reported a sighting of the elusive, A. gigas or ‘Arapaima’, which locals call ‘dragon fish’. Villagers believed these ‘dragon fishes’ were responsible for the mysterious drowning of 2 men on June 17.
In the video, the team is off to catch an arapaima, an ancient species and the world’s largest freshwater fish, reaching a length up to 9.8 ft with an average weight of about 220 pounds.
When they set off to catch the massive fish in the Amazon River, it started to rain and lightning crackled. For some fishermen, it was probably a hint for them not to go after these huge ancient fish whose ancestors’ fossils have been found to date back more than 250 million years.
The team finally did catch one of the mysterious fishes. While appreciating the beauty of these creatures and satisfying our curiosity, do you resonate with those ancient tales? Or do you think we simply should respect nature and leave the fish alone? Share with us.
