An 18-foot long, deceased oarfish that washed ashore in Avalon on Sunday, Oct. 13, caused a stir among the island’s scientific and naturalist communities and brought national attention to Catalina.
While the exotic fish was not the first of the sea creatures seen near the island, it appears to be the largest and oldest to be found after it swam uncharacteristically near the shore and died. Oarfish are rarely seen, especially near shore as they prefer to be in water from 650 to 3,000 feet deep. Meanwhile, they are rarely seen alive.
An 18-foot long, deceased oarfish that washed ashore in Avalon on Sunday, Oct. 13, caused a stir among the island’s scientific and naturalist communities and brought national attention to Catalina.
While the exotic fish was not the first of the sea creatures seen near the island, it appears to be the largest and oldest to be found after it swam uncharacteristically near the shore and died. Oarfish are rarely seen, especially near shore as they prefer to be in water from 650 to 3,000 feet deep. Meanwhile, they are rarely seen alive.
Rich Zanelli, Catalina Island Conservancy school and youth programs specialist, said it was the second oarfish he’s seen locally.
Similar to an earlier oarfish that that was encountered a few years ago in the island’s waters, the one that was found on Saturday was first spotted alive and still swimming. Another adult oafish swam into the USC cove near Two Harbors a few years back and people got in the water with it, but it didn’t live very long.”
Participants in the Conservancy’s Families in Nature program first discovered the oarfish’s presence on Saturday, Oct. 12, when they saw it in the shallow waters off the coast of Rattlesnake Canyon. Descanso Beach Ocean Sports guide Scott Bryan, a level 2 Conservancy trained naturalist, was the first person to spot the oarfish in the water. Conservancy outreach and naturalist training specialist, Alexa Johnson, at first estimated its length to be around 20 feet. Later, after it washed ashore, it was measured to be 18 feet.
It was Catalina Island Marine Institute biologist Jasmine Santana, who, while snorkeling, found the oarfish’s body on Sunday, after it washed ashore at Toyon Bay. Santana said she was shocked to see a half-dollar sized eye staring at her from the sandy bottom, according to a CIMI prepared statement. Her first reaction was to approach with caution until she realized that it was dead. The body of the fish was almost perfectly intact and it appeared to have died naturally.
CIMI instructors were unloading gear from the Sailing School Vessel Tole Mour following an amazing journey to Santa Barbara Island when they saw Santana struggle to pull the large, silvery animal into the shallows.
“The craziest thing we saw during our two day-journey at sea happened when we got home,” instructor Connor Gallagher said. “These islands never cease to amaze.”
According to the CIMI, the instructors found themselves sprinting down the pier to both assist and explore a fish most people do not even know exists. It took a group of 15 adults to transport the oarfish up the beach to a better viewing area. Mark Johnson, the longest serving CIMI employee could not believe his eyes. “In 32 years here, I have never seen anything like this!”
Now CIMI is trying to figure out what to do with the oarfish’s body. It has contacted an expert at UC Santa Barbara and with the Museum of Natural History in LA, said Jeff Chace, CIMI Toyon Bay Program director.
“We can’t even really fit it into our freezer,” he said.
The scientists may decide to bury the carcass and let it decompose under the sand. In the end, they could end up with an 18-foot long skeleton to show for the discovery.
About oarfish
Oarfish are found in all temperate to tropical oceans, yet rarely seen. The oarfish family contains four species in two genera. One of these, the king of herrings (Regalecus glesne), is the longest bony fish alive, at up to 17 metres (56 feet) in length.
The common name oarfish is presumably in reference to their highly compressed and elongated bodies. The occasional beachings of oarfish after storms, and their habit of lingering at the surface when sick or dying, make oarfish a probable source of many sea serpent tales.
The tapering, ribbony silver bodies of oarfish—together with an impressive, pinkish to cardinal red dorsal fin—help explain the perception of majesty taken from rare encounters.
Oarfish feed primarily on zooplankton, selectively straining tiny euphausiids, shrimp and other crustaceans from the water. Small fish, jellyfish and squid are also taken. Large open-ocean carnivores are all likely predators of oarfish, and include the Oceanic whitetip shark.
Apparently solitary animals, oarfish may frequent significant depths of up to 1,000 metres (3,300 feet).
Oarfish eggs hatch after about three weeks into highly active larvae, which have little resemblance to the adults, with long dorsal and pelvic fins and extensible mouths. Larvae and juveniles have been observed drifting just below the surface. In contrast, adult oarfish are rarely seen at the surface when not sick or injured.
