Freaky Fish Washes Up Near Ocean Shores

April 15, 2008

Release from: Gary Chittim
King 5 News (Washington)

OCEAN SHORES, Wash. - A walk on the beach turned into a strange encounter for a Western Washington man.

While walking the beach near Ocean Shores, Curtis Fowler spotted a strange fish, more than 4 feet long.

"It was a large fish," he said. "Thought it was fairly odd."

Fowler snapped a few photos. After he and his dog got a good look, they walked off not realizing that three weeks later they would meet the same kind of fish on the same beach, but this time, it would be alive.

Curtis Fowler snapped a photo of this fish near Ocean Shores.

"And I saw a big dorsal fin sticking out of the water, so I walked over to it and grabbed it thought it needed some help getting out to deeper water," he said.

After repeated efforts to steer it back into the sea, Fowler watched it swim away, all the while mindful of a big mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.

Experts at the Seattle Aquarium and University of Washington had no problem identifying Fowler's find.

"It's the Long Nose Lancet and it's an animal we've heard of before washing up on our coast," said Tim Carpenter, Seattle Aquarium fish curator.

Experts say the species mainly lives in very deep tropical and subtropical waters but will venture out for food and breeding.

Scientists say they'd have to see a lot more of the fish wash up before they get concerned.