Oscar Lundahl, 19, was fishing in Norway in 2,600ft of water when he reeled in the ratfish, whose name comes from a Greek mythological creature.
Lundahl tells The Sun he was trying to catch blue halibut off the island of Andoya in northern Norway when he snagged something — different. According to the publication, the 19-year-old nearly jumped out of his fishing boat when he saw the fish he’d hooked.
The scaly creature had massive eyes and a lengthy snake-like tail.
According to Fox News, it was a ratfish — a species that is related to sharks and has existed for millions of years. The cable network says ratfish live in deep water and are rarely caught.
Lundahl told The Sun it took him about 30 minutes to reel in the ratfish, which was roughly 2,600 feet deep. Fox News reports the ratfish didn’t survive due to the extreme pressure change from being that deep.
Lundahl reportedly took the fish home and pan-fried it in butter. He says it was tasty — almost like a better version of cod.
