Damn. That is a big fish.
A dead oarfish was found on Catalina island this week and, damn, it was a big one. The details, via KTLA:
The beast likely weighed from 150 to 200 pounds and was 24 feet long when it was alive, said Annie MacAulay, a marine biologist and president of Mountain and Sea Educational Adventures, who dissected it Monday.
Someone found the fish about 6:30 a.m. Monday at Pebbly Beach near Avalon with its tail severed off — which oarfish have been known to do to shed weight and save energy, she said.
The fish was about 15 1/2 feet when it washed ashore but because of its girth, MacAulay and her colleagues guess it was about nine feet longer with the tail.
Oarfish are normally found only deep in the water, far out in the ocean – which means sightings are rare (the first ever sighting of a live one was only in 2001). The fish are believed to grow up to 50 feet in length.
Unbelievable! The second oarfish that we found washed up on the shores of Catalina Island.
Posted by Mountain and Sea Educational Adventures on Monday, August 17, 2015
