Local kayakers and snorkelers in La Jolla Cove stumbled upon a rare deep-sea oarfish earlier this month, providing scientists with a unique research opportunity. The deceased specimen, an elusive giant of the deep, was transported to NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center, initiating a collaborative study by experts eager to unravel its mysteries.
The 12.25-foot-long oarfish was examined closely by a team from UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, California State University Fullerton, and NOAA. As reported by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Ben Frable, an ichthyologist at Scripps, pointed out the importance of such findings: "Rare encounters like this provide an amazing opportunity to learn more about this species and how it lives". This fish was an adult male, showing no apparent reason for its demise.
Considering how little is known about the species, every data gleaned from the slender silvery fish is invaluable. The team gathered samples to generate a high-quality genome and to analyze the fish's diet, gill morphology, reproductive status, and possible contaminants. Such research is helping to build a holistic understanding of these enigmatic ocean inhabitants. Details from the necropsy also pointed out that while the fish did not exhibit visible signs of milt, reproductive activities in local oarfish were previously recorded in June.
The oarfish has since been added to Scripps's significant collection of deep-sea specimens, according to Dahiana Arcila, marine biologist at Scripps. "This oarfish presents a rare opportunity to obtain fresh samples for genomic analysis," Arcila said, as per Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Experts dismiss the old lore around oarfish, particularly the myth of their presaging natural disasters.
