A yellowfin tuna was spotted for the first time in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Eilat off the coast of Israel's southernmost city, the Nature and Parks Authority said Wednesday.
The Authority's inspector, Amos Berti, documented the rare sighting in the coral reserve.
The large tuna species is usually found in open waters in tropical and subtropical ocean regions around the world.
The fish is named after its striking bright yellow fins.
"This is an unusual phenomenon. It is a pelagic fish that lives in open water," said Chen Topikian, director of the coral reserve at the Nature and Park Authority. "Something attracted the fish to the shallow water in the reef area. It is important not to approach or disturb the fish and report unusual behavior."
Yellowfin Tuna seen in Eilat
(Video: Amos Berti, Nature and Park Authority)
An Israeli study published in July found that corals in deeper water are less reproductive than those in shallow water.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, found that coral spawning events in the Gulf of Eilat in the Red Sea, at the deeper parts of the reef occur at significantly lower intensities than those at shallower depths.