Rare tropical fish found on Oregon beach, researchers thrilled

The rare discovery of a 100-pound opah on an Oregon beach will  offer school kids a chance to dissect the brilliantly colored fish.

The rare discovery Wednesday of a 100-pound opah on an Oregon beach will offer students a chance to dissect the brilliantly colored fish.

The moon-shaped opah, far north of the typical range for the species, was found early Wednesday at Sunset Beach in northern Oregon.

Scientists at Seaside Aquarium collected the fish and stored it for future research.

“It created quite the stir at the Aquarium where folks were encouraged to come take a look at this beautiful and odd-looking fish,” Seaside Aquarium wrote on Facebook. “Always on the lookout for new educational opportunities, the fish will be frozen until the school year starts. Partnering with the Columbia River Maritime Museum’s educational director, Nate Sandel, one lucky school group will get the chance to dissect this large fish.”

Opah are rarely encountered off Oregon. However, as Seaside Aquarium noted, a 97-pound opah was caught 37 miles beyond the Columbia River Mouth in 2009.

The largely solitary fish, which reside mostly in deep waters, are caught sporadically by Hawaii-based long-line fishermen targeting tuna. But the fish, which can weigh more than 200 pounds, also appear in the Southern California Bight.

They’re not frequently encountered, or caught by fishermen, but in 2014 anglers aboard a San Diego-based sportfishing boat pulled off an extremely rare feat by landing three giant opah on the same day.

The largest of the three, weighing 180 pounds, 12 ounces, is listed by the International Game Fish Assn. as the all-tackle world record.