Overview
- On November 23, a beached Megachasma pelagios was found at Negritos beach in Talara, Piura, according to photos and eyewitness accounts.
- Residents swiftly cut up the carcass and carried off meat as no Port Captaincy, Serenazgo, or environmental specialists arrived in time.
- RPP and other outlets report the absence of on‑site authorities, while public health guidance warns against consuming stranded animals with unknown causes of death.
- The deep‑water plankton‑feeding species is exceptionally rare, with fewer than about 300 documented sightings worldwide since 1976, according to FishBase and other references.
- The episode drew criticism from environmentalists and is prompting calls for clearer strandings procedures, stronger enforcement, and coastal education, with no official sampling or investigation reported.