Campers at the Hartenbos Caravan Park came across an oarfish on the beach yesterday.
© Rhoda da SilvaCampers at the Hartenbos Caravan Park came across an oarfish on the beach yesterday.
Campers at the Hartenbos Caravan Park came across an oarfish on the beach yesterday.

Antonia Pereira da Silva says it was high tide at around 16:00 when he saw the 1.3m long oarfish coming out with the surf.

Oarfish are large, greatly elongated, pelagic lampriform fish belonging to the small family Regalecidae.

This type of fish is rarely seen.

A marine biologist from Oceans Research in Mossel Bay, Dr Enrico Genarri, urges residents to report any other findings of oarfish in the area.

"It will be best to keep the fish in shallow water. Our team will then tag the fish and release it. This will be crucial for our team to obtain more information about this rare fish."


Dr Genarri says Mossel Bay's water reach a depth of 65m while oarfish can be found in waters of up to 3000m deep.

"That it why this is such a unique finding in the area. "We know of only one other case in which an oarfish was found in Mossel Bay waters."

According to Pereira da Silva, the fish was given to a fish and tackle store in Hartenbos, where it will be dried.

Five things you might not have known about oarfish:

Known as the "king of the herring", they are the longest bony fish in the sea.

Their common name is derived from their long, extended pectoral fins. Another identifying feature of the oarfish is the long red plumes coming from the head and other fins.

The fish swim holding themselves straight up and down in the water column. It's believed that's how they search for food.

Oarfish are inedible with a gelatinous body texture and hold no commercial value.

Oarfish only come to the surface of the sea when they are sick and vulnerable and often wash ashore after storms.