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Oregon State University

Fish found in suspected tsunami debris off Ore.

Katharine Lackey
USA TODAY
A chunk of a fiberglass boat 25-30 feet long was spotted off the Oregon shore west of Ona Beach in Lincoln County around 9:30 a.m. April 9, 2015. The debris appears to be half to two-thirds of a larger vessel, possibly damaged and set adrift during the earthquake and tsunami that struck the east coast of Japan in 2011.

Several live yellowtail jack fish — normally found in the coastal waters of Japan — were discovered in a chunk of a fiberglass boat spotted off the Oregon coast this week. The vessel is believed to have been set adrift by the 2011 tsunami that devastated the eastern coast of Japan.

A section of the boat, about 25 to 30 feet in length, was towed to Newport, Ore., late Thursday, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said in a statement. The debris appears to be about half to two-thirds of a larger vessel.

Biologists determined the fish and other organisms still attached to the boat posed a low threat as invasive species to the Oregon coastal ecosystem. The debris will eventually be removed from the water and studied by Oregon State University researchers before being dismantled and disposed of in an area landfill.

The fish were set to be removed from the boat and delivered to the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

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