NHK has learned that a group of international researchers has captured images of what is believed to be the world's deepest-living fish.

The group includes Professor Alan Jamieson of the University of Western Australia and a scientist from the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.

The researchers said they filmed a type of snailfish at a depth of 8,336 meters in the Pacific Ocean near the Izu-Ogasawara Trench, south of Japan, on August 15 last year.

The footage shows the fish is milky white and about 30 centimeters long. Its fins are semi-transparent and the body appears to be covered in soft gelatin.

The previous deepest-living fish was observed at a depth of 8,178 meters in the Mariana Trench.

It had been thought that fish cannot survive at depths of 8,200 to 8,400 meters due to water pressure.

Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology Dr. Kitazato Hiroshi is the head of the Japanese team. He said it was amazing to discover the deepest-living fish more than 8,000 meters below the ocean surface.

Kitazato said he was able to obtain data to explore how fish can physiologically adapt to such an extreme environment.