On a recent spring getaway to Werri Beach in Gerringong, Sydney resident Karen Holahan went for a leisurely walk along the sand with her brother Ken and daughter Stephanie and struck “silver” in terms of a fish species.

“I just turned, and I saw this thing flapping on the sand, like as if it was trying to flap itself back in the water,” Holahan said.

Upon closer inspection and with the advancements of technology, Holahan was able to unofficially identify the species as a Crested Bandfish or Lophotus Guentheri, by submitting the image to an internet search engine.

Holahan told The Bugle that she was told that if that specific fish washes up on the beach that it means a tsunami or tornado is imminent.

“I tell you, no word of a lie, it started getting windier, because when we went down there on the Wednesday it was a totally different day [on] Sunday morning,” Holahan said.

“Especially Saturday night, like it was windy.”

When Holahan and her family examined the Crested Bandfish, they were startled.

“He [my brother] said it looked like it had been attacked by a shark, and the ribbon part and the tail was bitten off,” she said.

“It was actually leaking, like the ink octopuses do.

“[After touching it] Ken’s hands were all silver and it was hard to get off and he had to use some soap to wash it off.

“I rang the fisheries, hoping they’d come out, but no one showed up, so by the next morning it had ants all over it.”

Holahan, who lives in the south-western Sydney suburb of Bradbury, is an avid animal lover, with six dogs, a horse and some cows.

Karen Holahan Photo: Supplied

A NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development spokesperson told The Bugle that Fisheries officers focus their resources on managing illegal fishing reports.

“The department did receive one report regarding a washed-up fish at Werri Beach (Illawarra district) to its Fishers Watch (report illegal fishing service) on Saturday 6 September,” the spokesperson said.

“The report photograph appears to show a Crested Bandfish – an oceanic species that is not a threatened or protected species under NSW Fisheries legislation.

“Fisheries officers manage illegal fishing reports to help focus their resources as part of a risk-based approach to compliance and there is no evidence provided by the informant of any illegal/unlawful activity.”

According to the Atlas of Living Australia, the first Crested Bandfish was officially named by Scottish-Australian scientist Robert Mackenzie Johnston in 1883, with its scientific name honouring German-born British zoologist Albert Karl Ludwig Gotthilf Günther.

The last official reporting of an occurrence of the Crested Bandfish was in June 2020 in Jervis Bay – there have only been 30 recorded since record keeping began.  

A file photo of a Crested Bandfish 

According to the Shellharbour Council website, the Dharawal language’s word for fish is ‘dhanj’ and for the Dhurga language of the Yuin country, the State Library of NSW stipulates that it is "marrah".

Dharawal and Dhurga languages do not have a recorded or official name for this fish species.