A rarely seen deep-sea fish named Oarfish, resembling a mythical sea serpent, was discovered floating dead on the ocean’s surface off the coast of San Diego, marine experts reported.
Discovery of the rare Oarfish
The 3.6-meter-long silver oarfish was found last weekend by a group of snorkelers and kayakers in La Jolla Cove, a scenic spot north of downtown San Diego. The discovery was confirmed by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which released a statement about the unusual find.
According to Ben Frable, a fish expert at Scripps, this marks only the 20th time an oarfish has been documented washing up on California’s shores since records began in 1901. The rarity of such occurrences has long fueled the oarfish’s reputation as a harbinger of natural disasters, particularly earthquakes, although no scientific evidence supports this belief.
Timing and earthquake speculation
The discovery of the oarfish comes on the heels of a 4.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Los Angeles on Monday, near the Highland Park neighborhood. This latest tremor followed a series of seismic activities, including a 5.2 magnitude earthquake on August 6, which was felt across much of Southern California, from Bakersfield to the coast. Despite the timing, experts, including those at Scripps, caution against drawing any connections between the oarfish’s appearance and the recent earthquakes.
About the Oarfish
Oarfish, known for their elongated bodies, can grow to lengths exceeding six meters and typically reside in the mesopelagic zone—a deep part of the ocean where sunlight does not penetrate, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The La Jolla Cove oarfish was brought to shore by swimmers using a paddleboard, before being transported in the bed of a pickup truck. Scientists from NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center and Scripps Institution are scheduled to perform a necropsy on Friday to investigate the cause of death.
Scientific significance
In a news release from UC San Diego, the university highlighted the importance of this discovery. “Thanks to the work from these locals, scientists will be able to further study this mysterious species,” the statement read. The oarfish will be added to the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps, one of the world’s largest collections of deep-sea fish. The find offers marine scientists a rare opportunity to study the elusive oarfish, shedding light on a species that remains largely enigmatic due to its deep-sea habitat.