Rare Deep Sea Angler Fish Found On Shores Of Crystal Cove

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — The sight of an angler fish above sea level and in perfectly preserved condition startled visitors to Crystal Cove State Beach over the weekend.

One local expert identified it as a "football fish," a far from a rare type of angler fish, but rare in that it somehow remained intact from its 3,000-foot journey off the ocean floor. That identification has yet to be verified by Fish and Wildlife.

RARE FIND! Deep sea anglerfish washed up in Newport Beach on Friday morning! On Crystal Cove beach @CrystalCoveSP staff were alerted by beach visitor Ben Eslef and were able to retrieve this intact specimen.. pic.twitter.com/vERGy5Zujt
— Davey's Locker (@DaveysLocker400) May 9, 2021

Resident Ben Eslef (Ben Estes, as reported by Stephanie Lopez of NBC4) was the one who found the creature's remains and recognized its significance, according to a spokesperson from Davey's Locker, who reported the find over Twitter.

Workers placed the creature into cold storage, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife will be gathering its remains Monday for further study.

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