Back From The Dead! Extinct Fish Spotted In Belgium.

IT’S that spooky time of year when all sorts of weird and wonderful things occur, the latest, a zombie fish is back from the dead.

However, the story might be more ‘hooray’ than horror, as the return of the species could indicate an improvement in water quality and environment.

An adult houting, which is a salmon-like fish, has been spotted in the Scheldt in Kruibeke, East Flanders. The sighting occurred Tuesday, October 24, and came as surprising news, as the species had been considered extinct in the region for quite some time.

The last sighting of a houting was reported around ten years ago, and previous to that it had been around 100 years since the species had last been seen.

The houting fish inhabit the North Sea and travel inland into the Scheldt with the tide. This hopeful detection indicates that it may once again have found a suitable habitat in Belgium.

The fact that houting has once again been seen swimming around in the Scheldt, shows that water quality must have greatly improved in recent years. Jeroen Van Wichelen of the Institute for Nature and Forest Research stated that “Twenty years ago, it was a dead area, the water quality has improved dramatically. You also notice that by the return of other fish species.” He went on to say that he “hopes there will be more sightings in the future.”

The houting that was seen on Tuesday was caught after being reported and then released back into the water after the necessary tests were carried out. Experts and locals alike now wait hopefully for more of the species to return. 

What a FINtastic tail!