VIDEO: Seaside Aquarium hatches stranded skate eggs, sets fish free

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Seaside Aquarium returned a family of skates to the Pacific Ocean on April 17 after the unborn fishes’ egg sack was found washed ashore at Seaside Beach on Oct. 2.

The aquarium staff incubated the eggs until five skates hatched on April 1. The surviving fish were fattened up and released into Netarts Bay a few weeks later.

“We wanted to make sure that they were healthy before releasing them so we waited a few weeks to fatten them up and to be sure they were eating well before we released them,” the Seaside Aquarium told KOIN 6 News. “Netarts Bay provides protection from the surf and has a lot of food for them. It is an ideal place for these guys to start their journey.”

The Seaside Aquarium said that it receives skate egg casings every year after people find them on the beach. The aquarium shared video of the aquarium’s process of receiving the skate eggs, incubating them and returning the fish to the wild.

“Unable to simply place the egg casing back into the ocean due to the fact that they would wash back up, we place them in holding tanks in the back of the aquarium,” the Seaside Aquarium said. “It can take up to 11 months for the embryos inside to fully develop.”