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An oarfish is often called the ‘Doomsday Fish’ or ‘Earthquake Fish’ because many people believe it to be a harbinger of earthquakes. Of course, there is no hard evidence to support those theories and it just might be that oarfish happen to inhabit deep oceans near land which also coincide with global regions where earthquakes occur (Japan, California, etc.) but that hasn’t stopped the ‘Doomsday Fish’ reputation from sticking over the years.
One of these fish was just caught by two Australian anglers on a charter boat near Melville Island in the Northern Territories. The two anglers were fishing with Tiwi Islands Adventures when they reeled in the massive oarfish and what resulted is truly the coolest pic of this species that we’ve ever seen.
To be fair, all of these fish look like aliens but this one in particular with its jaw extended/mouth wide open gives it an aura almost similar to a seahorse. This picture was posted to the Fishing Australia TV a week or two ago and has exploded since then with interest from the fishing community:
Truly an incredible 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.
Going back a bit further, another interesting lore tied to these fish are how they can so easily be mistaken for sea monsters. A diver came face to face with one in July of last year:
These fish look about as ‘alien’ as any species can get, IMHO.