All In The Family: Maine Mother & Son Charged in Massive Drug Bust

A Rare 'Doomsday' Fish Is Spotted Swimming In Mexico

The elusive oarfish, a creature nicknamed the "doomsday fish" because of its place in folklore as a precursor to disaster, was captured on video this month after it was seen in shallow water in Baja California Sur, along Mexico's Pacific Coast.

A group of people who were visiting the area spotted the fish swimming near a beach in early February.

Oarfish have an eel-like slender body and gaping mouth, but the sea-monster-like creatures have rarely been seen alive by people. As of August, only about 20 oarfish sightings had been recorded along the coast of California since 1901, according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, though one washed up in the state as recently as November.

In Japanese mythology, oarfish are viewed as harbingers of doom, signaling impending earthquakes. But researchers in Japan debunked any significant link in a paper published in 2019.

Amid Poor Eel Catches, Strange Deep-sea Fish Steals Spotlight

RAUSU, Hokkaido--Aside from its slimy feel, a type of conger eel called "kurohamo" doesn't win any prizes in the looks department. Fishermen rarely found any use for the deep-sea fish when they landed up in their nets.

In short, the fish was generally regarded as unappetizing.

But that was before a local restaurateur developed a cooking method that has captivated diners across the country through word of mouth as a topping for "donburi" rice bowl dishes.

Kurohamo is now regarded as a more than passable alternative to Japanese unagi eel and whitespotted congers, which have sharply risen in price in recent years due to dwindling catches mainly caused by overfishing.

But as details about its life remains largely unknown, an expert is calling for more research to determine sustainable catches.

"With each passing year, kurohamo has become increasingly popular and is now our main offering," said Koji Nomura, owner of Shiretoko Shokudo, a local restaurant that serves the "Kurohamo-don" rice bowl dish.

Nomura, 52, said he provides up to 130 servings in a single day.

Many of those who order the dish for the first time are amazed by the hefty size and thickness of the kurohamo fillets.

Prepared in "kabayaki" style, in which the fish is sliced open flat, seasoned with sauce and grilled, the caramel brown-colored fillets are tender and melt in the mouth.

More importantly, the fish meat contains as much fat as that of eel.

A serving costs 1,300 yen ($9.40), including tax.

Like "hamo" (dagger-tooth pike conger), a popular ingredient in Kyoto-style cuisine, the fillets are prepared with the "honekiri" technique to make small cuts in the flesh to slice through the spiny bones.

Kurohamo-don featured at some local eateries a dozen or so years back when Nomura opened his restaurant at a roadside rest area in Rausu, eastern Hokkaido.

He also added the dish to his regular menu, but it didn't prove popular at first as customers were put off by the "slightly fishy" smell of the skin.

Nomura set about finding new ways of cooking the deep-sea fish.

After cutting up the bones, he places the fillets on a griddle over hot coals, then adds moisture to make them tender before searing the skin with a burner to give them a crunchy texture. In a final flourish, Nomura adds a sauce, whose ingredients remain a closely guarded secret.

The dish has gradually gained popularity in recent years, and many customers are drawn to Shiretoko Shokudo simply for the Kurohamo-don.

Kurohamo caught off Rausu are officially called "irako anago" (Kaup's arrowtooth eel), according to Keizo Yoshimura, head researcher and specialist in aquaculture science at the Central Fisheries Research Institute managed by the Hokkaido Research Organization's Fisheries Research Department. The fish mainly dwell at depths of between 400 and 2,000 meters.

Reaching a length of about 1 meter, the blackish eel has a large mouth and preys on squid and other fish, eating them whole.

"I couldn't grab it by the hand when I was younger because it looks like a snake and felt creepy," recalled Kazumi Ishida, 64, a director of a local fishery cooperative association. "There was hardly any use (for kurohamo), and we could only throw them away or cook them for ourselves when we caught them. We hardly ever brought them to market."

Kurohamo-don is also served at Jun no Banya in Rausu.

"It's slimy and the knife gets slippery, so I have to put in extra effort in applying the honekiri technique," said Seiichi Funaki 71, who operates the restaurant. "A number of my customers are regulars from Tokyo and other areas of the Kanto region. I'm glad to see its popularity is growing."

DWINDLING EEL CATCHES

Irako anago belongs to the Synaphobranchidae family of the order Anguilliformes.

Japanese eel, another member of the order Anguilliformes, is a perennially popular dish in Japan, especially in the sweltering summer heat, as it has a reputation for restoring vigor. It is eaten in kabayaki style.

But its population has drastically declined due to overfishing, ecological destruction of the riverine environment and other factors.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature included the Japanese eel in its list of endangered species in 2014.

Catches of "ma-anago," or whitespotted conger, which is also a member of the order Anguilliformes and is used in a wide variety of dishes such as sushi and "nitsuke" (simmered fish), have also dramatically decreased in recent years.

Against this background, irako anago has come under the spotlight as a substitute for kabayaki and nitsuke dishes.

The fish is caught in abundance in Pacific waters off the Sanriku coast of the Tohoku region.

Packaged "ni-anago" (boiled anago) and other processed products have become a regular feature on the shelves of supermarkets in Tokyo, Osaka and elsewhere across the country in recent years.

However, Fumihito Tashiro, an assistant professor at Hokkaido University specializing in systematic ichthyology, offered a word of caution as the life expectancy, egg-laying sites and other details about the eel remain largely unknown.

"As it now stands, we have little knowledge of what sort of catch is sustainable. We need to study and thoroughly research things about its population and ecology to find an appropriate harvest control," he said.

How To Get Eel In Stardew Valley

Eels are among the first hurdles you face when eyeing a first-year Community Center completion. These slippery fishes are tricky to catch early on, partly due to them only appearing during a particular weather condition and partly due to your character not having enough progression in the Fishing skill.

All said, here's everything you need to know regarding how to catch Eel in Stardew Valley.

How to catch Eel in Stardew Valley If you are doing a Joja run, toss them into the Fish Smoker for profit. Screenshot by Dot Esports

You can catch Eels in the oceans at the Beach on rainy days during Spring and Fall from 4pm to 2am in Stardew Valley.

Tip:

If you chose Beach Farm as your farm layout, you don't have to go all the way to the Beach to catch ocean fish. The other conditions, like weather, season, and time of day, however, still apply.

If I'm looking to catch an Eel, I make a mental note as soon as I see a rainy weather forecast on the TV during Spring and Fall and head to the Beach in the afternoon, preferably with a fair few baits. You can't use baits on the starter Bamboo Pole, though. It's only an option after you invest in a better Fishing Rod, like the Fiberglass or Iridium ones. If you have access to Tackles, I'd recommend the Cork Bobber, as it increases the size of your fishing bar. 

Catching an Eel is exactly like catching almost any other fish in Stardew Valley. It's not all that difficult if you are familiar with the fishing minigame. The problem you might run into in this case can be attributed to the low spawn rate of the Eel. But you'll get one (and more) for yourself soon enough if you dedicate the whole of 4pm to midnight on a rainy Spring or Fall day.

What to use Eel for in Stardew Valley

Eel is one of the fish required in the Night Fishing bundle in the Fish Tank, which is one of the Community Center bundles. Therefore, catching it by Fall is mandatory if you are going for first-year Community Center completion.

Eel is also used in two cooking recipes: Fried Eel and Spicy Eel. Out of the two, Spicy Eel is a great choice for your mining adventures as it gives you a +1 boost to Luck and Speed. Later on in playthroughs, you usually buy Spicy Eel from the Desert Trader at the cost of one Ruby for each dish.

Eel is not a good option for gifting, on the other hand. It is not in the "liked" list of any Pelican Town NPC, let alone in the "loved" one. However, during Spring and Fall, Eel can appear in the "Help Wanted" quests you can pick out of Pierre's shop. These quests offer a decent relationship boost. So, I'd recommend keeping a few Eels handy in one of your storage chests just in case.

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