AN oarfish was reportedly found in Talisay City yesterday.
The report circulated online after “Cebu Flash Report” posted three photos of the fish on its Facebook page.
The post had 2,700 likes and 1,023 shares as of 8:28 p.m. Tuesday.
The photos showed six people carrying the fish, but it was easily as long as seven people standing side by side. It had a silver body with red fins.
Alan Poquita, assistant director of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR-7), said that they have not received any reports about the oarfish.
“We will check tomorrow morning if there’s really oarfish found. We still need to find out the cause of death,” Poquita said.
Poquita said that although an oarfish is safe for eating, it’s important to establish the cause of its death.
“What if namatay to because sa sakit? Ug ing-ana galing, dapat ilubong dayon to siya (What if it died from an ailment? In that case, it should be immediately buried),” he said.
He said they have not issued any directive to turn over the fish to their office.
“It depends on the local government unit (LGU) if they would turn it over or not. Oarfish is not endangered species but it is very rare to see that in Cebu,” he added.