19-year-old Dutch diver spots fish species never seen before in Dutch waters

A 19-year-old diver from Zeeland has spotted a fish never before recorded in Dutch waters, officials confirmed Friday.

Ruben Vermeule, known for documenting fish on social media, encountered the ringneck blenny (Parablennius pilicornis) off Callantsoog late last month, according to NOS. The species usually lives in southern Europe’s warmer waters.

“I saw it swimming and immediately suspected something was unusual. I grabbed my camera and luckily captured footage because it disappeared within ten seconds,” Vermeule said.

At first, he thought it might be a chameleon goby, an exotic fish first recorded in the Netherlands in 2024. “When I reviewed the footage, I recognized it from Lanzarote, where I have done a lot of diving,” he added. Lanzarote is one of the Canary Islands.

Vermeule shared the footage with conservation group RAVON, which verified the discovery Friday. Experts note climate change is pushing southern species north, and North Sea wind farms and artificial reefs provide hard surfaces these fish favor. Whether the blenny will survive the winter in Dutch waters is uncertain.