Rare swordfish washes up near Groningen port
A dead swordfish was found on the mudflats near the Eemshaven in Groningen. “The swordfish is truly a rarity on the Dutch coast,” Wouter van der Heij of the Waddenvereiging told RTV Noord.
“As far as we know, only three have been found in the past hundred years. Probably dead specimens, because these lightning-fast animals are very difficult to see when alive,” Van der Heij said.
Hobby photographer Martin Knol from Winsum spotted the dead swordfish on Tuesday. “I took a photo when I saw something floating by,” he told the broadcaster. “It looked strange. When I enlarged the photo, I saw the tip of the fish’s sword. Very special.”
The dead animal was taken to Ecomare on Texel on Wednesday, where scientists will try to figure out what killed the swordfish and how it ended up at the Eemshaven. Swordfish are not typically found in the North Sea. They’re usually found in the Mediterranean Sea and the deeper oceans.
Ecomare curator Pierre Bonnet is very impressed by the find. “This is really extremely rare,” he told the broadcaster. He hopes to give the specimen a place in his nature museum after the research. “I would like to make a cast of it and preserve the skeleton, including the sword. But that requires money, and we are not the richest institution.”
