RARE OARFISH FOUND ON BEACH NORTH OF TOWN

Jan. 10, 2006, Mike Sheffer, Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico Oarfish Observation Report:

Last Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006, a friend stopped by our house in Loreto and said he had found a strange fish washed up on the beach a few miles north of Loreto.

My wife Rosey and I along with our two labs jumped on the ATV's to go and see what kind of fish he had seen. I took pictures of the fish we found. When I got home I Googled it and found it was an Oarfish. It sounds like a once in a lifetime experience.

The fish looked as though it had washed up on the beach that same day as the tide was way out that afternoon. We washed it off for the photos. It hadn't been dead that long because it had good color. The mouth and the tail had been chewed on, or it would have been intact.

I didn't see much reason to cut it open and I wouldn't eat anything washed up on the beach, at least not now. It looked rather "eel like" and not very appetizing.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from Loreto and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for Loreto may be found at Mexfish.com's main Loreto page.