by A rare deep-sea fish considered a harbinger of doom has washed up on the Southern California coast.
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego said one of its graduate students discovered an oarfish measuring about 9 to 10 feet (2.7 to 3 meters) long on a beach in Encinitas last week.
The long, ribbon-shaped fish typically live in the mesopelagic zone, a region of deep water where light cannot penetrate.
They are often referred to as “doomsday fish” due to their mythical reputation for predicting earthquakes or natural disasters. In the months before the 2011 earthquake, 20 oarfish were discovered on Japanese beaches.
It is the second time an oarfish has been found in the area this year. Since 1901, oarfish have been documented to have washed up in California only 20 times.
Look what decided to make another appearance! 🌊 Another one last week #Oarfish washed up on Grandview Beach in Encinitas and was discovered by Scripps Oceanography graduate student Alison Laferriere. This cool creature is around 9 to 10 feet long. pic.twitter.com/gJjc9BBLwc
— Scripps Institution of Oceanography (@Scripps_Ocean) November 13, 2024
Ben Frable, Scripps Marine Vertebrate Collection Manager, said: “As with previous oarfish, this specimen and the samples collected from it will be able to tell us a lot about the biology, anatomy, genomics and life history of oarfishes.”
An oarfish was first found in the area in August. It was about 12 feet long and weighed more than 30 kg. Scientists didn’t know why the fish washed up there, although it’s widely believed to be a sign of injury, illness and disorientation.
When two oarfish washed up on California beaches in 2013, scientists suspected they may have died as a result of seismic activity beneath the ocean floor that occurred days or weeks before an earthquake.
Another possibility is that large amounts of carbon monoxide gas are released before an earthquake, which could also affect oarfish and other deep-sea creatures.
“Rare encounters like this provide a great opportunity to learn more about this species and its way of life,” Mr. Frable said in a statement in August.
“We are fortunate to have a large research community and a world-class collection that has quickly mobilized to study and preserve this fish.”
Dahiana Arcila, marine biologist and curator of the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps, added: “This oarfish represents a rare opportunity to obtain fresh samples for genomic analysis, allowing us to study the evolutionary adaptations that allow this species to survive in Deep sea environments thrive.” .”
