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Keith Chandler, managing director of Seaside Aquarium, told CNN that an opah on the Oregon coast is “rare to find” and he also added that the fish were “in such great shape.”
“They’re pretty cool fish, and we don’t normally see them on the shore,” Chandler said. “It was pretty exciting for the locals.
The opah is an unusual looking fish, according to NOAA, it has a round, flat body that is silvery gray in color.
“Towards the belly (of the fish), the silver turns pink red, dotted with white spots”, we can read on the NOAA website. “Their fins and mouth are red, and their large eyes are surrounded by gold.”
Due to the condition the fish was found in, Chandler believes it had only been on the beach for less than an hour before aquarium staff received notification.
“Unfortunately he ran aground without living, but we got there before the birds did,” he said.
The opah is stored in a large freezer, Chandler said. The aquarium plans to work with a local organization, the Columbia River Maritime Museum, to dissect the fish. The aquarium added that a lucky school group will have the chance to be part of the dissection.
Chandler said the aquarium plans to “get all the data” possible from the dissection to find out more about the species.
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