Rare oarfish washes up near Mossel Bay
A rare fish was found on a Hartenbos beach on Tuesday.
The 1.3m oarfish was seen coming out with a wave and washing up on the beach. It died minutes later.
A marine biologist from Oceans Research in Mossel Bay, Dr. Enrico Genarri, says this species is hardly ever seen and not commonly found in Mossel Bay waters.
Oarfish are the longest bony fish in the sea and can grow up to 36 meters in length.
According to Genarri, oarfish normally live at depths of around 1,000 meters.
The sea depth in Mossel Bay's immediate vicinity reaches a level of only about 65 metres.
The silvery scale-less fish can weigh up to 270kg.
Oarfish have rarely been observed alive, not a lot is known about their conservation status.
Genarri urged beach-goers who might come across another oarfish, to keep it in shallow water and report the finding.
Genarri says his team will then tag such a fish, and release it, in order to gain more information about this rare species. (Correspondent Louise Karsten)
