Gnarly Lancetfish Found on N. Oregon Coast - and No, It's Not a Barracuda

Published 04/23/25 at 6:12 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Seaside, Oregon) – What was once rare turns out to be more commonplace than previously thought – but it's still cool, kind'a freaky Oregon coast science. (All photos Seaside Aquarium)

Seaside Aquarium reports finding a longnose lancetfish yesterday near the Ave. U access, a funky fish that looks more bitey and viscous than it really is.

“Resembling a barracuda, this is one fish you would not expect to run across along the Oregon coast,” said the aquarium's Tiffany Boothe.

For a long time these finds were considered rare. Oregon Coast Beach Connection covered these incidents since the media company's start in 2007, with only one or two found every two or three years. Now – it turns out – they're much more of a regular occurrence.

“With social media we are getting more reports of them up and down the coast,” Boothe said.

It's that close resemblance to the barracuda that would always create a small media buzz.

This striking fish stands out with its large, captivating eyes, sharp, fang-like teeth, and elongated, serpent-like body. These distinctive features make it unlike most other fish found in the Pacific Northwest – yes, that means the Washington coast or even the British Columbia coastline.

Boothe said little is known about the longnose lancetfish, but it is known to inhabit a broad range from the southern Bering Sea to Chile, living in surface waters as deep as 6,000 feet. Fascinatingly, they are not selective eaters, feeding on over 90 species of marine life, including their own kind. Unfortunately, they are also known to consume plastics, reflecting the growing issue of ocean pollution.

The species’ unique feeding habits and wide-ranging depths have made them a subject of scientific study. Due to their poor digestive abilities, the stomach contents of these fish often reveal intact fish and other prey. Analyzing what they eat provides insights into shifts within the marine food web, potentially highlighting the impact of phenomena like El Niño or La Niña on ocean ecosystems.

Indeed, aquarium staff proved some of that with this lancetfish at Seaside by cutting it open and checking out the contents of its stomach. It had beaks from different species still in there, small fish, salps, and even pyrosomes.

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“They get consumed pretty quickly by gulls and other shore birds, so getting an intact fresh one is kind of difficult,” Boothe said. “We can’t always respond and get to these guys but when possible we try.”

For some reason in the spring and summer a handful of these guys wash ashore on Oregon beaches. The aquarium often gets a call when someone comes across one of these odd-looking fish wondering exactly what it is that they have found. Longnose lancetfish can reach 7 feet and weigh up to 20 pounds.

In 2023, there was a sizable run of them with several found in late spring, including one that was not only still alive but able to swim away.

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MORE PHOTOS BELOW

Lancetfish found in Gold Beach last year, courtesy "Paul"

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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