Item#: 9244
Level1
Containment Class:
neutralized
Secondary Class:
none
Disruption Class:
none
Risk Class:
none
View from the north side of Lake Harrison.
Special Containment Procedures: The remains of SCP-9244-A instances are to be kept in cold non-anomalous storage at Site-86 Facility 13. As SCP-9244 itself is believed to no longer be anomalous, direct containment aside from a fence and signs warning against fishing in the area is not necessary. Once every six months, a researcher from the Department of Aquatic and Marine Anomalies (DAMA) is to cast a line into SCP-9244. Any SCP-9244-A instances caught are to be reported to DAMA director Kurt Marston and transported to Site-86.
Description: SCP-9244 is Lake Harrison, an artificial retention pond located near Harrow, Nevada, United States. Despite being artificially created and lacking any record or evidence of wildlife, fishing equipment utilized in SCP-9244 will often successfully result in catches at a rate similar to natural lakes of its size. Fish caught in SCP-9244, designated SCP-9244-A, are universally freshwater fish native to Nevada, though often are members of species not native to the specific region in which SCP-9244 is located. SCP-9244-A instances, while non-anomalous, possess significant physical deformities and are of an abnormally large size. SCP-9244-A instances released back into SCP-9244 quickly asphyxiate due to the lack of dissolved oxygen in the water.
SCP-9244 was originally built sometime in the 1880s as a reservoir for the planned community of Dary, Nevada, sold as a boomtown to capitalize on the region's silver industry. The reservoir was abandoned after a series of intense sandstorms in 1891 drove away the remaining residents of Dary, though documentation of where they relocated to is lost. The remnants of Dary's nineteen buildings stood as a ghost town until they were destroyed by an earthquake in 1935.
Addendum 9244.01: Testimony
The first record of an SCP-9244-A instance is in a 2007 edition of Northern Basin High School's student newspaper, which describes a student who had caught an exceptionally large cui-ui while fishing in Lake Harrison. Foundation operatives in Harrow took control of SCP-9244 following this event and interviewed the student involved, 16-year-old Harrow resident Bryan Eates. A transcript of the interview is appended below.
Interviewer: Dr. Stephanie Mulberry
Interviewee: Bryan Eates
Foreword: The following interview was conducted on September 3, 2007 to ascertain the circumstances of Eates's discovery of SCP-9244's anomaly.
[BEGIN LOG]
Dr. Mulberry: Hello, Bryan.
Eates: Hello.
Dr. Mulberry: I wanted to ask you about the fish you caught on the 21st.
Eates: Am I, uh, am I in trouble for trespassing?
Dr. Mulberry: No. Lake Harrison is not private property. You're allowed to go fishing there. We at the Sea Creature Protection Initiative are just curious about your discovery of a cui-ui up here in Harrow. As far as we know, they only inhabit Pyramid Lake down south.
Eates: Oh. Really?
Dr. Mulberry: Yes. Finding one up here is quite a discovery. This could help us learn more about the species to help conserve it. Are you sure what you caught was a cui-ui?
Eates: Well, I'm pretty sure. That's what my dad told me, at least.
Dr. Mulberry: Your dad?
Eates: Yeah. Me and him go fishing at Pyramid Lake in the winter. We've caught lots of them before. Though, uh, he said he's never seen one that big before.
Dr. Mulberry: So, it was larger than a normal cui-ui? Do you remember how large it was?
Eates: Um, we measured it when I brought it home. I don't remember exactly the size.
Dr. Mulberry: Ballpark?
Eates: Like, five feet? Five and a half?
Dr. Mulberry: Noted. That is exceptionally large. What did you do with it?
Eates: My dad insisted we fry it up. Me and him cooked it together for our family. Uh, we made some stir-fry with it. My family really liked it, I think it was a bit tough for my taste, though.
Dr. Mulberry: Interesting. Did you take any pictures of it?
Eates: No. I wish I did, though. It was pretty huge. It took me a while to drag it to the car.
Mulberry: Could you describe it?
Eates: Yeah, it was pretty normal looking, I'd say. Aside from the size, obviously. It had the mouth suckerfish have, where it kinda looks like lips, you know? It was mostly gray and a little, like, beige-y purple. The fins were longer than usual. And, uh, and thicker, too.
Dr. Mulberry: Alright. Could you tell me why you chose Lake Harrison in particular? It's not a particularly popular fishing spot.
Eates: Uh, well. I wanted to go fishing, but it's not like there's a lot of lakes out here. My friend told me I might as well try Lake Harrison, since it's basically the only water nearby, so me and him went out there at night to try to see if we could get anything. We didn't really expect to, but sure enough. Giant ass cui-ui. I got to take it home 'cause I caught it.
Dr. Mulberry: Your friend, did he catch anything?
Eates: No. He doesn't have a rod. He just helped me move it once I caught it.
Dr. Mulberry: I see. What did you do with the remains of the fish? The parts you didn't cook, that is.
Eates: Threw it out. For how big it was, it didn't have a lot of good meat to work with.
Dr. Mulberry: Alright. Is there anything else you believe is worth mentioning?
Eates: Uh, not really, no. I didn't think it was that notable.
Dr. Mulberry: In that case, I'll let you go, then. Thank you for talking to us.
Eates: Yeah, any time. Let me know if anything comes comes of this discovery, I guess.
Dr. Mulberry: Will do. Have a good day, Bryan.
Eates: You too.
[END LOG]
Afterword: Bryan Eates was administered Class-C amnestics, as was his family, and returned to his home in Harrow. His friend, identified as 17-year-old Jorge Torres Falda, was interviewed as well, though provided no further useful information. Falda was administered Class-C amnestics as well. I do not believe it is likely that we will recover the original specimen, so effort should be focused on suppressing other evidence of the incident.
— Dr. Mulberry
Addendum 9244.02: List of Notable SCP-9244-A Instances
Designation: SCP-9244-A1
Species: Cui-ui (Chasmistes cujus)
Recovered: August 21, 2007
Description: See above.
Status: See above.
Designation: SCP-9244-A4
Species: Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius)
Recovered: September 20, 2007
Description: Caught by lead researcher Geraldo Luis, 166cm in length. Possessed severely lengthened pectoral fins. The caudal fin, while split into two halves like normal minnows, was missing its lower portion in a way that indicated it had been torn off at some point in the past.
Status: Expired of asphyxiation while en route to Site-86.
Designation: SCP-9244-A5
Species: Humpback chub (Gila cypha)
Recovered: October 9, 2007
Description: Caught by lead researcher Geraldo Luis, 168cm in length. Characteristics of the species, such as its namesake hump, were present, though the hump was abnormally round and hard. Its left pectoral fin only contained four segments, instead of the usual five. It was also missing its right eyelid.
Status: Expired of asphyxiation while en route to Site-86.
Designation: SCP-9244-A7
Species: Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus)
Recovered: November 11, 2007
Description: Caught by DAMA researcher Kimberly Farrah, 134cm in length. Instance possessed a snapped neck and was recovered with discarded glass and metal stuck to its eyes and ears.
Status: Expired of asphyxiation while en route to Site-86.
Designation: SCP-9244-A12
Species: Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus henshawi)
Recovered: November 30, 2007
Description: Caught by DAMA researcher Kimberly Farrah, 162cm in length. An injury sustained in the past to its gills resulted in its lungs being filled with water. It was recovered trapped in a spool of white fabric and had a metal ring lodged on the fourth segment of its left pectoral fin.
Status: Expired of asphyxiation while en route to Site-86.
Notes: At this point we have determined some trends in SCP-9244-A instances' physical deformations. All instances have an exceptionally large size and weight, elongated pectoral and caudal fins, and a lack of dorsal and anal fins. The only variance found is in size and state of physical injury.
— Rsr. Luis
Metal recovered from SCP-9244-A15.
Designation: SCP-9244-A15
Species: Razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus)
Recovered: December 5, 2007
Description: Caught by DAMA researcher Kimberly Farrah, 170cm in length. Instance was missing its left pectoral fin and possessed an unusually triangular-shaped snout. Instance was missing several teeth and a single chunk of gold-colored metal was embedded in its jaw.
Status: Successfully transported to Site-86, expired of asphyxiation upon transfer to a containment tank.
Leather recovered from SCP-9244-A18.
Designation: SCP-9244-A18
Species: Warner sucker (Catostomus warnerensis)
Recovered: December 15, 2007
Description: Caught by lead researcher Geraldo Luis, 165cm in length. Instance's pectoral fins were both absent and the upper caudal fin ended in three segments instead of the usual five. Instance was recovered trapped in multiple layers of black fabric as well as a piece of thick leather on its lower caudal fin.
Status: Successfully transported to Site-86, expired of asphyxiation upon transfer to a containment tank.
Designation: SCP-9244-A19
Species: Bonytail chub (Gila elegans)
Recovered: December 17, 2007
Description: Caught by lead researcher Geraldo Luis, 183cm in length. Clumps of a wiry, black material were found stuck to the instance's head, and its pelvis, tailbone, and collarbone were determined to be fractured. In addition, its right pectoral fin showed significant damage to the humerus, metacarpals, and phalanges.
Status: Due to its large size, the instance had to be cut into smaller pieces prior to transport. Transportation to Site-86 was successful, though the instance expired of asphyxiation upon transfer to a containment tank.
Following the recovery of SCP-9244-A19, DAMA researchers have been unsuccessful in capturing any further instances of SCP-9244-A. As SCP-9244 has failed to produce a specimen since 2007, it has been reclassified as neutralized.
- Hide proposed addition
04/03/2008
SCP FOUNDATION RECORDS AND INFORMATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
The following is an addition to this file proposed by RAISA Archivist Canberra. It is awaiting approval by Site-86 regional RAISA Director Ryczko.
On April 3, 2008, the remains of SCP-9244-A1 were recovered from the Washoe County landfill. The item was bagged and transported to cold storage at Site-86.
Following a series of intense mental breakdowns, Bryan Eates and his family are being monitored for potential anomalous effects of consuming SCP-9244-A instances.