Oar-some addition to the fish collection!

Watch us process the latest addition to the fish collection - a 2.3 m long Oarfish.

In July 2014, I received a call to say that an unusual fish had been washed up on the beach - were Amanda (my colleague in the Fish Department) and I interested? You bet we were! A short film shows the processing of that oarfish specimen as it is tranformed from a frozen blob in the freezer to a 'wet specimen' in the collection.

The fish is now part of the Ichthyology Collection and is available for study (registration number AMS I.46414-001). The parasites found inside the fish will soon be sent on loan to researchers in California.

Thank you to John Goode for informing the Museum that the fish had been found washed up on a northern Sydney beach and to Adam at Barrenjoey Boat Hire for temporarily storing the fish. Chris Hosking, thank you for undertaking the mammoth drive with your family  to collect and deliver the specimen to the Museum, and a special thank you to Australian Museum Senior Photographer Stuart Humphreys.