Rare Oarfish Spotted in California Sparks Interest and Speculation

The elusive deep-water oarfish, often associated with foreboding omens, was spotted again on the shores of Encinitas, California. This marks the state’s third sighting of the species within the last three months, totaling only 22 occurrences in the past century, according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

The nine-foot-long oarfish was discovered on November 6, 2024, on the sands of Grandview Beach by Alison Laferriere from the Scripps Institute. Following its discovery, the specimen was handed over to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service and transported to the Southwest Fisheries Science Center for further analysis.

«We took samples and froze the specimen, awaiting further study and final preservation in the Marine Vertebrate Collection,» stated Ben Frable, manager of the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps, through a statement released on social media.

Japanese mythology often characterizes the appearance of oarfish in shallow waters as precursors to natural disasters such as earthquakes or tsunamis. This belief gained traction after multiple oarfish were spotted on Japan’s coastlines just months prior to the country’s largest recorded earthquake in March 2011, as reported by Ocean Conservancy.

Despite anecdotal theories positing a connection between tectonic movements and oarfish fatalities, scientific studies, including a 2019 analysis published in GeoScience, have found no definitive correlation between oarfish sightings and earthquake activity in Japan.

Oarfish, also known as «doomsday fish,» are seldom seen alive by humans due to their deep-sea habitat, which can reach depths of up to 3,000 feet in the ocean’s mesopelagic zone.

Earlier sightings this year include a 12-foot-long oarfish in La Jolla Cove, spotted in August by kayakers and snorkelers. The specimen was in good condition and has since been added to the Scripps Marine Vertebrate Collection. Another sighting occurred in Huntington Beach in September; however, the fish was found to be in a degraded state, according to Frable.

Frable pointed out that changes in ocean conditions and increased oarfish populations near the coast could explain the recent strandings. «This wash-up coincided with the recent red tide and Santa Ana winds last week, but many variables could lead to these strandings,» he explained.

Dahiana Arcila, a marine biologist at Scripps, emphasized the importance of these occurrences for research. «This oarfish presents a rare opportunity to obtain fresh samples for genomic analysis, allowing us to study the evolutionary adaptations that enable this species to thrive in deep-sea environments,» Arcila stated.