Within minutes, phones were out, marine biologists were alerted, and an old legend about a so‑called “doomsday fish” was suddenly back in the headlines.
A deep-sea giant shocks San Diego
On 10 August 2024, during an outing at La Jolla Cove, a small rocky inlet near San Diego, a group of divers stumbled across an enormous dead fish drifting near the surface. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography later confirmed it was an oarfish, a rare deep‑sea species that can grow to extraordinary lengths.
Photos shared by Scripps on social media show kayakers and scuba divers posing next to the animal, its long, silvery body stretched out like a metallic ribbon. The fish measured more than three metres, already imposing, though far from record size for the species.
This elusive creature usually lives hundreds of metres below the surface and almost never appears intact so close to shore.
Marine specialists believe the specimen was pushed in by currents after dying at depth. Being able to examine such a fresh carcass is a valuable opportunity: the fish was quickly transported to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) facility for a full necropsy to determine how it died and what it had been eating.
The oarfish, also called the “doomsday fish”
The oarfish, sometimes dubbed the ribbonfish, belongs to the family Regalecidae. It has an extraordinarily long, compressed body, almost like a vertical banner drifting in the water. Its swimming style is slow and undulating, which helps it stay suspended in the mid‑water column with minimal effort.
According to marine databases, the family includes three known species in two genera. One of them, Regalecus glesne, holds the record as the longest known bony fish on Earth. Verified measurements suggest it can reach around 11 metres from head to tail, longer than many small boats.
The oarfish found near La Jolla showed several of the classic traits that have fed myths for centuries:
- A crest of bright red dorsal spines along the head, forming a crown-like tuft.
- Large, staring eyes adapted to the dim light of the deep sea.
- A narrow, ribbon‑shaped body that can look almost snake‑like when seen from above.
- A diet based mainly on krill, plankton and tiny crustaceans filtered from the water.
The bright crest and eerie, elongated silhouette have long prompted stories of “sea serpents” when the fish occasionally wash up on beaches or get tangled in fishing gear.
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From deep mystery to coastal specimen
Because oarfish usually live far from coasts and at considerable depth, scientists still know relatively little about their behaviour. Most information comes from stranded individuals, chance encounters by deep‑sea submersibles, or images from trawler nets.
Every beached oarfish is a rare data point that helps researchers understand life in parts of the ocean that humans barely reach.
At NOAA, biologists are expected to check for signs of disease, parasites, injuries from predators or human activity, and changes in organs that could hint at temperature or oxygen stress. Tissue samples can also reveal the chemical signature of the waters the fish inhabited, offering clues about its migration routes.
The legend: a messenger of earthquakes
While scientists see a research opportunity, many people online saw something else: an omen. Oarfish have been associated for years with claims that they predict earthquakes or tsunamis, especially in Japan and on the Pacific Rim.
In Japanese folklore, the species is known as ryūgū no tsukai, usually translated as “messenger from the palace of the dragon king”, a mythical ruler of the sea. Stories say the fish rise from the depths and strand themselves on beaches before major tremors.
Modern social media has amplified that narrative. The nickname “Doomsday Fish” or “apocalypse fish” has stuck, especially after clusters of sightings were followed by large quakes in Japan and Chile in the past two decades.
This latest specimen appeared just two days before a magnitude 4.4 earthquake shook the Los Angeles area on 12 August 2024, fuelling a fresh wave of speculation.
Although a 4.4 quake is relatively modest for California standards, the timing was close enough for many users to connect the dots, sharing memes, warnings and shaky amateur footage of the stranded fish.
Could an oarfish really sense a coming quake?
Scientists are cautious. Some, like Rachel Grant, a specialist in animal biology at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, have suggested that a link is “theoretically possible”, at least in principle. In a previous interview, she described a mechanism by which seismic activity might disturb deep‑sea life.
As stress accumulates in rocks before a fault slips, they can generate electromagnetic effects and cause the release of electrically charged ions into the water. Sensitive species might detect those subtle changes, especially if they rely on electrical cues or are particularly vulnerable to shifts in water chemistry.
That idea is intriguing, but so far still speculative. The Ecuadorian Geophysical Institute, which has looked at reports of oarfish and earthquakes in the Pacific, says data gathered up to August 2022 does not support a reliable link between sightings of these fish and major natural disasters.
| Claim | What research says |
|---|---|
| Oarfish always appear before big quakes | No consistent pattern found; many strandings occur with no subsequent event |
| They sense tremors days or weeks in advance | Mechanism unproven; some theoretical ideas, but no confirmed evidence |
| Authorities use oarfish as an early warning signal | No scientific agency formally relies on them for forecasting |
Several studies have tried to cross‑check earthquake records with unusual animal behaviour, not only in fish but also in dogs, snakes and birds. So far, patterns tend to vanish once large, rigorous datasets are used instead of anecdotes.
California’s long relationship with earthquakes
The legend arrives in a state that lives with very real seismic risk. The long‑feared “Big One” refers to a potential mega‑quake on the San Andreas fault, which runs roughly 1,300 kilometres through California. A rupture on its southern segment, west of Los Angeles, could shake tens of millions of people.
Recent decades have already brought several strong quakes:
- On 5 July 2019, a magnitude 7.1 event near Ridgecrest in the Mojave Desert was described by the US Geological Survey (USGS) as the strongest in the region since the late 1990s.
- On 28 June 1992, a magnitude 7.3 quake struck near Yucca Valley in southern California, leaving one person dead, injuring more than 350, and damaging buildings across the region.
- On 25 April 1992, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurred about 50 km from Eureka in northern California, injuring 95 people and causing heavy damage in Humboldt County.
None of those events was convincingly preceded by an oarfish wave. That mismatch is one reason seismologists tend to view the “doomsday fish” label as folklore rather than a forecasting tool.
For earthquake scientists, sensors buried in rock, GPS stations and historical fault records are far more reliable than legends about deep‑sea creatures.
What people living on the coast should focus on
While photos of a stranded oarfish grab attention, practical earthquake preparation matters far more for safety. In California, Japan and other quake‑prone regions, authorities usually advise residents to keep basic kits at home, know how to shut off gas, and identify safe spots to shelter during shaking.
Paying attention to official alerts can save more lives than watching for unusual animal behaviour. Modern systems use networks of seismometers to send smartphone warnings seconds before strong shaking arrives, giving people just enough time to duck, cover and hold on.
Why myths like the “apocalypse fish” persist
Humans are wired to look for patterns, especially when facing unpredictable threats such as earthquakes. When a rare, eerie animal appears near a major event, the story is memorable and easy to share. All the uneventful strandings tend to fade from memory.
Psychologists call this selection bias: we notice coincidences that fit the narrative, and forget the ones that don’t. Social media amplifies that process, especially with striking images like an 11‑metre “sea serpent” on the sand.
That does not mean the folklore is useless. For scientists, such stories can highlight species that might respond strongly to changes in their environment. Even if oarfish turn out not to predict quakes, they might still serve as indicators of deep‑water conditions, from oxygen levels to pollution.
What the La Jolla oarfish could still reveal
Once NOAA completes its tests, researchers may publish details about the fish’s age, diet and health. Those data points, added to others from around the world, help sketch a clearer picture of how these elusive animals live and what pressures they face.
Oarfish strandings can also spark conversations about deeper issues: warming oceans, shifting currents and human impacts that reach far below the surface. Large, slow‑growing species are often vulnerable to changes they never encountered before industrial times.
Whether or not it heralds disasters, each oarfish washing ashore is a reminder that the deep sea is not as distant from our lives as it seems.
For coastal communities from California to Japan, the real challenge lies in combining sound science with cultural memory. Myths about “messenger” animals may not forecast earthquakes, but they can nudge people to think about risk, ask questions, and stay alert to a planet that never truly stands still.