First capture of a coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae Smith, 1939 (Pisces: Latimeriidae), off Kenya

On Thursday 26 April 2001, around noon, Captain Suleiman Fahli of the trawler MV Venture II, owned by Basta Allessandro, hauled in a large female coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) from the western Indian Ocean off Malindi, Kenya. The fish was caught in a trawl net of 2-inch (50 mm) mesh size that was targeting deep-water prawns. The exact site of capture was 7 nautical miles (about 13 km) offshore (03 degree 14'S, 40 degree 14'E) at a depth of 185 m. According to Fahli, the fish was very active at the time of capture and bluish in colour. The fishermen wisely decided to keep the specimen because of its uniqueness.