Beachgoers in California recently stumbled upon a rare and enormous “doomsday fish,” only to experience an earthquake in the region just two days later. The 12-foot-long short-crested oarfish (Regalecus russellii) was found off the coast near San Diego on August 10. Two days later, on August 12, a magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck Los Angeles, sparking discussions about the eerie coincidence.
The oarfish, known in Japanese folklore as a harbinger of disaster, is a deep-sea creature that rarely makes its way to the surface. This particular fish is only the 20th oarfish to wash up in California since 1901, according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. The folklore surrounding the oarfish suggests that sightings of these creatures may signal impending earthquakes or tsunamis, earning them the nickname “doomsday fish.”
Zachary Heiple, a doctoral student at Scripps who helped recover the oarfish, explained the lore to Live Science. “There’s this thought that they’re a doomsday fish or a bad omen and that they seem to signal things like tsunamis or earthquakes,” Heiple said. However, he also pointed out that a 2019 study published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America found no scientific correlation between oarfish sightings and seismic events, suggesting that the link is purely superstition.
The oarfish was found in a shallow reef between La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores by a group of marine scientists who were snorkeling and kayaking in the area. The fish’s highly reflective, shiny silver surface made it stand out even in the less-than-ideal visibility conditions of the day. Emily Miller, a research associate at California Sea Grant, expressed her surprise at the discovery, stating she was “bewildered” when informed about the find.
The oarfish was taken to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) facility for further examination. Scientists from California State University Fullerton and NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Centre performed a necropsy to gain more insight into this rare deep-sea dweller.
While the timing of the oarfish’s appearance and the subsequent earthquake has fueled folklore, experts maintain that the two events are unrelated. The incident, however, highlights the fascinating interaction between marine life and human history, as well as the enduring power of ancient myths in the modern world.