Oarfish rising to the water's surface is believed to be a sign of an impending earthquake; scientists have noted the creature's sensitivity to seismic shifts. (Photo : Reuters)
Rare giant fish washing up dead on the beach of Catalina Island, California has become a regular occurrence. The long snake-like fish may presage seismic activity like an earthquake, marine scientists say.
In October 2013, an 18-foot oarfish was found in Santa Catalina Island. Social media discussions on the possibility of an earthquake immediately ensued. That oarfish sighting was followed by the emergence of a 14-foot fish in June. The third oarfish emerged on the shores of Santa Catalina Island, dead.
Annie MacAulay, who founded the educational non-profit organization Mountain and Sea Educational Adventures, saw a belly full of tiny crustaceans, krill, after dissecting the fish. MacAulay ruled out illness and shark attack as reasons why the creature could have come to shore,The Orange County Register reported.
Either an earthquake or sonic blasts from naval training may have caused the giant fish to rise to the water surface, she added. Oarfish live deep in the sea and can grow up to 15 meters or beyond.
In other news, a long, serpent-like marine specimen had washed up on a salt marsh in Aramoana, New Zealand a few months ago. David Agnew, service manager of the Department of Conservation has not seen anything like it for two decades, Otago Daily Times reported.
In Japan, an uptick in sightings of the rare deep sea fish with silvery body is believed to be an indicator of a looming natural disaster. However, some people tend to dismiss the linkage of oarfish sightings to tremors as just a Japanese myth.
