Mysterious 'doomsday fish' washes up on California beach

Oarfish sightings in California remain exceedingly rare, with only 21 recorded since 1901.

Listen to article

A rare oarfish, long associated with myths of impending disaster, has washed up on a California beach for the second time this year.

The nearly 10-foot-long creature was discovered last week on a beach in Encinitas, southern California, by Alison Laferriere, a PhD candidate at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

Oarfish, which can grow up to 20 feet long, are elusive deep-sea creatures that typically live in the mesopelagic zone, about 3,300 feet below the ocean surface, where light cannot reach.

These ribbon-shaped fish, with their serpentine bodies, are rarely seen by humans, and as a result, have been steeped in legend for centuries.

Often referred to as the "doomsday fish," oarfish have long been associated with mythical predictions of natural disasters, particularly earthquakes.

The legend gained widespread attention in 2011, when 20 oarfish washed ashore in Japan in the months leading up to the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck the country.

The proximity of these strandings to the earthquake gave rise to the belief that the appearance of oarfish might signal impending seismic activity.

However, scientists remain sceptical of any direct link between oarfish and natural disasters. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where Alison Laferriere works, noted that oarfish sightings in California are extremely rare.

Since 1901, only 21 oarfish have been documented washing up on the state's shores. This most recent sighting is the second in 2024, following the discovery of a 12-foot-long oarfish found dead in the water off San Diego in August.

The increase in sightings has led to speculation about changing ocean conditions. Ben Frable, a fish expert with the Scripps Institution, suggested that broader shifts in the environment—such as El Niño or La Niña patterns—could be behind the increase in oarfish strandings, although it is unclear whether these changes are directly responsible. These oceanic fluctuations affect water temperature, currents, and other factors that may influence marine life.

Oarfish are typically very deep-water creatures, far removed from coastal ecosystems, which makes their appearances in shallow waters all the more mysterious. "Oarfish are incredibly rare. Their deep-sea habitat makes them difficult to study, and sightings are a huge event," Ben Frable explained in a statement.

When Alison Laferriere and her colleagues at Scripps found the washed-up oarfish, they collected samples for further analysis. An autopsy was conducted to study the fish’s internal organs, providing valuable data for marine biologists.

The fish will also be preserved for further study in the institution’s marine vertebrate collection. In fact, the researchers plan to use the recovered specimen to generate the “first high-quality, chromosome-level genome” for the species, which has been largely understudied by scientists.

Despite their ominous reputation, oarfish are harmless creatures that feed on plankton, small fish, and squid in the deep ocean. The fish’s large size and elongated body shape, however, have often been interpreted in folklore as signs of disaster. Beyond their connection to earthquake myths, oarfish continue to capture the imagination of both scientists and the general public.

Ben Frable and other researchers caution against jumping to conclusions based on the fish's appearance. While the strandings of oarfish may seem to coincide with seismic events, there is no direct evidence to suggest that their appearance signals an impending disaster. Rather, the strandings may be linked to broader ecological factors, such as shifts in the ocean environment, that impact deep-sea species.

As the mystery of the oarfish continues to intrigue, researchers remain focused on studying this elusive species. The ongoing research aims to better understand the oarfish’s biology and its role in the deep-sea ecosystem, while also examining the possible links between climate change, ocean conditions, and these rare strandings.

For now, the appearance of oarfish on California’s shores remains a rare and fascinating event, drawing attention both for its scientific value and its continued place in myth.