A 45 kilogram, one-metre long opah, also known as a 'moonfish', has washed up on the northern Oregon coast in the US.
Officials at Seaside Aquarium were alerted to the fish last week on Wednesday (local time). In a Facebook post, the aquarium said while the fish was rare in that part of Oregon it isn't unheard of.
"A large fish, rare to the Oregon Coast, was found on Sunset Beach this morning. The 3.5 foot, 100 lbs opah was reported to the Seaside Aquarium at 8:00 a.m.
"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 revealed the fish will be frozen until the school year starts and then dissected.
"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."
It's not the first time an opah has washed up on the northern Oregan coast, although it is rare. According to OregonLive, a 43-kilogram opah was caught 59 kilometres off the Columbia River Mouth in 2009.
Research biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) Heidi Dewar said the stranding was "unusual" and climate change may be to blame.
"I wouldn’t expect an opah that size to normally be off Oregon. We are seeing some marine organisms moving northward as ocean temperatures increase," she told The Washington Post.
But she said without robust research it's hard to know what caused the stranding.
Opah have bright red and silver scales and are dotted with white spots. Their large eyes are ringed with golden yellow. They can grow up to 1.8 metres long and weigh as much as 270 kilograms.
Clarke Gayford - best known as partner of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and presenter of the fishing show Fish of the Day - says opah, also known as moonfish, are fairly common in New Zealand waters.
"Moonfish' are found around NZ, between 100 and 300 ton a year are landed here. I've spoken to fishers who talk about avoiding their vicious pec fins which can deliver a serious karate chop," he tweeted.
