A Ph.D. candidate at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla found a rare deep-sea oarfish washed ashore last week in Encinitas, the second time this year such a fish has been found in San Diego County, following a discovery in August in La Jolla.

A deep-sea dweller that rarely comes to the ocean’s surface washed ashore a beach in Southern California, making it the second one to appear in just a few months. Now, researchers are trying to figure out what brought it.

Last week, Scripps Institution of Oceanography PhD candidate Alison Laferriere found the deceased 9.5-foot specimen at Grandview Beach in Encinitas — just the 21st of its species documented to have washed up on California beaches since 1901, officials said.

For the second time this year, a deep-sea oarfish has washed ashore in San Diego County, giving scientists a rare chance to study the species.

Last week, Scripps Institution of Oceanography PhD candidate Alison Laferriere found the deceased 9.5-foot specimen at Grandview Beach in Encinitas