Lancetfish added to Scripps collection
A rare fish that washed ashore in La Jolla is giving researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography a chance to study the food web of the deep ocean.
By: Jared Aarons
Posted at 6:09 AM, Dec 15, 2021
and last updated 10:24 AM, Dec 15, 2021

LA JOLLA, Calif. (KGTV) - A rare, deep-sea fish that washed ashore in La Jolla is helping researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography learn more about the food web in the deepest parts of the ocean.

The fish washed up on December 1st, and researchers collected it before the tide pulled the fish back out to sea. This is the 17th time they've gotten a lancetfish that washed ashore, dating back to 1947. They have around 80 more in the collection caught and donated by deep-sea fishermen.

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"This is exciting, says Ben Frable, the manager of the Vertebrate Collection at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "(This fish) represents an organism that was at a specific place at a specific time. By preserving that, you can ask all sorts of different questions."

The lancetfish will become part of a study led by Dr. Anela Choy for a decade to look at the stomach contents of lancetfish.

Frable says lancetfish eat anything, and the study will help us understand the food web in the deep sea.