Exotic Creature From the Deep Surfaces at O.C. Marine Institute

A rarely glimpsed deep-sea fish was reeled in Friday on a fisherman’s line off Dana Point, and some marine experts marveled at the creature’s appearance while others simply wondered what to do with it.

Robert Lea, a state Fish and Game marine biologist, said the appearance of the Pacific cutlass fish, a distant relative of the mackerel, is like “a strange, exotic animal came wandering into a local neighborhood.

“This is something that people certainly can’t see in an aquarium on a regular basis.”

Thin and whip-like, the yard-long fish is bright as polished silver, vividly reflecting every nearby color. Unlike most fish, its body ends at a point without the usual tail fin, and it darts through the water like a snake. Most striking is a membrane-thin dorsal fin that runs the length of its body, undulating in a constant, wave-like motion.

“We see new things around here all the time, but it’s usually small creatures the size of plankton,” said Harry Helling, associate director of the Orange County Marine Institute, where the fisherman brought his catch. “It’s pretty rare and exciting to see a new animal of this size come up from the ocean.”

Officials at the Marine Institute tried to find the cutlass fish a new home in an aquarium or research institute, but it didn’t work out.

The Scripps Institute of San Diego passed, saying the fish was too fragile to survive in an aquarium environment. When no other research groups bit on the offer, the marine institute made plans to release it back into the ocean Friday night.

“A number of people in research said they would love to have the body, but [the fish] seemed to be in inordinate good health,” Helling said.

The Pacific cutlass fish usually lives in waters of up to 1,200 feet. Described as a voracious predator, it has large teeth.

Helling couldn’t explain how this particular specimen found its way into the Dana Point Harbor.

“If we had several similar incidents, it would probably be the result of an El Nino,” he said, referring to the tropical current. “This fish could simply be an anomaly.”

The cutlass fish is relatively common in other parts of the world. Lea said he has eaten the fish in Portugal and found it “pretty tasty.”

“In California, it’s something we see rarely. It’s like an exotic visitor from another country,” he said.

Even though the Pacific cutlass fish will be with the institute for a short time, Helling said he is grateful for the experience.

“We try to be a window to the ocean, and situations like this help us teach the public about ocean environment,” he said. “Education sometimes occurs in unexpected ways.”