'Bad omen' fish found in Mexican waters

The oarfish - a mysterious sea fish that usually only appears when there is an underground earthquake under the sea, is considered a "bad omen" by people. However, recently they have been continuously discovered off the coast of Mexico.

On October 5, a Mexican fisherman posted a video clip of an oarfish online, with the title: 'Oarfish found off the coast of Mexico's Sinaloa.' In the clip, the fish is still alive in a water tank on a truck.

An oarfish washed ashore. (Illustration: Animalsspot.net).

Previously, in July 2022, some Chilean fishermen also caught an oarfish. The fish was quite large, more than 5m long and had a bony shape. It was hooked and then dragged to shore by the fishermen.

There is currently no published link between oarfish and earthquakes , but the continued appearance of oarfish in a certain place often makes many people worried. In fact, in 2010, at least 10 oarfish surfaced and drifted to the coastal area of ​​​​Northern Japan. Then, in March 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake occurred and shook the northeastern part of the country, causing a powerful tsunami that killed nearly 19,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima nuclear plant.

According to researchers at the Florida Museum (USA), the oarfish, scientifically named Regalecus glesne , can grow up to nearly 10 meters long. They are often considered "sea monsters " due to their unusual length and quite scary appearance. However, this fish has no teeth and only eats mollusks and crustaceans.

The oarfish, with its elongated silvery body and red fins, lives deep in the ocean and rarely comes to the surface. It is believed that the fish will surface before an earthquake, due to its vulnerability to tremors on the seafloor faults.

However, Professor Hiroyuki Motomura of Kagoshima University of Ichthyology explained that: 'I think this species of fish often swims to the surface when living conditions are poor and is pushed up by ocean currents. Therefore, they are often dead when found.'

"But there is no clear scientific evidence of a link between oarfish and earthquakes, so I think people don't need to worry too much," said Professor Hiroyuki.