Oarfish
Regalecus glesne
Not Kosher
Has fins but no scales
Fins
Yes
Scales
No
Description
The giant oarfish is a species of oarfish of the family Regalecidae. It is an oceanodromous species with a worldwide distribution, excluding polar regions.
Oarfish are rarely caught alive and their flesh isn't well regarded for eating because of its gelatinous consistency, so they aren't a real food fish.
Oarfish live in deep open ocean worldwide across tropical and temperate zones, in the mesopelagic layer from roughly 250 to 1,000 m, and are rarely seen at the surface. The giant oarfish is the longest bony fish, growing up to about 8 m.
Oarfish in foreign languages
| Scientific | Regalecus glesne |
| Hebrew | דג משוט ענק |
| Spanish | Pez Remo |
| Portuguese | Regaleco |
| French | Régalec |
| Italian | Re di aringhe |
| German | Roi des Harengs |
| Russian | Сельдяной король |
| Chinese | 皇帶魚 |
| Japanese | リュウグウノツカイ |
| Korean | 리본이악어 |
| Bengali | দানবীয় ওরফিশ |
| Vietnamese | Cá mái chèo |
| Thai | ปลาออร์ |
| Indonesian | Ikan sabuk raksasa |
Gallery
Warnings & Kosher Issues
- Has fins but no true scales, so it is not kosher.
- In Japanese folklore the oarfish is said to warn of earthquakes, but a 2019 study found that link is an illusory correlation.