Rare 7-foot fish washed ashore on Oregon’s coast garners worldwide attention

GEARHART, Ore. (AP) — A massive rare fish thought to only live in temperate waters in the southern hemisphere has washed up on Oregon’s northern coast. The Seaside Aquarium says the over 7-foot hoodwinker sunfish first appeared on the beach in Gearhart on Monday. The news of the unusual fish prompted a New Zealand-based researcher to contact the aquarium. The aquarium says that after looking at photos, the researcher believes it may be the largest hoodwinker sunfish ever sampled. According to the aquarium, the fish has also recently washed ashore in California and Alaska, challenging the theory that it only lives in the southern hemisphere.