Jasmine Santana, a science instructor for the Catalina Island Marine Institute, made an alarming discovery this weekend while paddling around Catalina Island, south of Los Angeles: a recently deceased 18-foot oarfish, one of the creatures thought to be the "sea serpents" of nautical legend.

At 18 feet in length, the oarfish was too big for her to lift alone, even underwater — and it took 25 people to handle it on land (CIMI says it could weigh as much as 300 pounds). Yet for an oarfish, the largest of all bony fish, 18 feet is pretty shrimpy; they can grow to over 50 feet.

Now that's a fishin' story to pass on...

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