Biology Reference
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A flashlight fish showing its bright light organ below the eye is out
cruising in the dark of night. (Photo by author)
We optimistically set up a holding tank filled with seawater in a dark-
ened storeroom in preparation for the Petits Peugeots—assuming we
could figure out how to catch them. Then we made another night dive
in the same area. This time I took my hand net, plastic bag, dive light,
and some small-gauge hypodermic needles to deflate their swimbladders.
Reaching the depth where we'd seen them earlier, we turned our lights
o¤. Just as before, there they were all around us, happily blinking away.
I swam slowly toward one with my light out, hoping I wouldn't run
smack into a rock. I clicked the light on and aimed it right at the fish's
eyes. The fish stopped, and with a quick swish of the net I had it. When
transferred to the plastic bag it swam round and round rapidly blink-
ing its lights. Not all the flashlight fish were as easy to collect as that
first one. We learned that swimming toward one and turning the dive
light on too soon was a sure way to spook it. Once alerted, it would
dart o¤ at high speed and be gone.
After a couple more dives we had a half-dozen flashing fish swim-
ming around in our darkened holding tank. We learned that although
there were many more fish down deeper, below a hundred feet, their
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