iStockphoto / dottedhippo
When an oarfish washed up on a beach in La Jolla, California back in August it was the talk of the town (and the Marine Biology world) for weeks. These peculiar looking fish could easily be mistaken for sea dragons and they also have reputations as a harbinger of earthquakes and are called the ‘earthquake fish’ or ‘doomsday fish’ due to a loose connection between these fish and earthquakes.
Now, a second oarfish has washed up on a beach in California. This time it was on the Grandview Surf Beach in Encinitas and it was spotted by Scripps Oceanography PhD candidate Alison Laferriere. After spotting the specimen, Ben Frable who is the manager of the Scripps Oceanography Marine Vertebrate Collection contacted the NOAA Fisheries team to recover the specimen and have it transferred to the Southwest Fisheries Science Center for testing. But not before photos were taken.
Images of this peculiar-looking sea dragon were shared across the Scripps Oceanography social channels, Instagram and Threads, with more details about this incredible find:
As for *why* a second oarfish may have washed up on a California beach in less than 3 months, field biologists can only speculate. But Scripps’ Ben Frable said (via Threads) “it may have to do with changes in ocean conditions and increased numbers of oarfish off our coast. Sometimes it may be linked to broader shifts such as the El Niño and La Niña cycle but this is not always the case. This wash-up coincided with the recent red tide and Santa Ana winds last week but many variables could lead to these strandings.”
After the specimen was recovered, Scripps Oceanography biologists took some samples for testing then froze the nearly intact sample for preservation in the Scripps Marine Vertebrate Collection. Frable said the samples will help Scripps marine biologists learn more about “the biology, anatomy, genomics and life history of oarfishes.”
Oarfish Sightings Are Always Exciting
At the end of September, an oarfish sighting in Australia went incredibly viral. Two fishermen captured an oarfish whose mouse looked like a seahorse and the specimen appeared to have eyes the size of a crystal ball:
This spectacular fish species, oarfish, can grow up to 36 feet long! They also swim vertically and weigh up to 600 pounds. However, because they’re an elusive deep water species most humans never have the opportunity to see them in the wild.
Two Australians landed one of the world's rarest fish during a charter fishing trip last week – a giant oarfish they hauled in off Melville Island.
It swims vertically at depths of up to 1000m, is also known as 'The Doomsday Fish', where legend has it that higher powers are… pic.twitter.com/ABEpuukBnk
— Mr Pål Christiansen (@TheNorskaPaul) September 30, 2024
Earlier this year, a 12-foot specimen was found in The Philippines. There was no earthquake in the aftermath of the fish being found despite its ‘doomsday’ reputation.