Observation by Emily Walsh:
I was swimming at Kitty Islet in Oak Bay when I saw [this King-of-the-Salmon (Trachipterus altivelis) fish] slashing by the shore on some rocks. I got out and looked, it was dead/dying, it didn't move again while I observed it for 30 minutes. I did go back in the ocean for a dip afterward too! I wasn't scared of what lies beneath. I found it on Sept 26th, 2017, within 3 days of the other one found at Rattenbury Beach in Oak Bay.
Comment by LEO BC Network coordinator Tom Okey:
King-of-the-Salmon (Trachipterus altivelis) is an oceanic species of fish that is also found nearshore in persuit of coastal fish and invertebrate prey. It's distribution is concentrated in near coastal regions of the northeast Pacific, as well as off Chile. As Emily Walsh indicates, this is the second specimen within found in close proximity to each other on the beaches of Oak Bay, Victoria, British Columbia in September of 2017. It is very unusual for this species to be seen washed up on beaches, and they are not otherwise observed very often, but this species is naturally present in this region.
Links:
References
Eschmeyer, W.N. and Herald, E.S., 1999. A field guide to Pacific coast fishes: North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Lacatusu, O. 2017. Rare ‘king-of-the-salmon’ washes up on Oak Bay beach. Victoria News
CBC News. 2017. 'Very rare' King-of-the-Salmon fish found on Vancouver Island beach
.
Observations From Members