A third carcass of the elusive oarfish was recently reported in November having washed onto the coast of Encinitas in Southern California, following similar beachings in Huntington Beach and La Jolla earlier in the year.
Described to be 12 feet long, this aquatic species is rarely encountered, habituating at depths roughly 3,000 feet under sea level.
These unusually rare marine animals have purportedly been linked with sudden occurrences of major natural disasters and earthquakes, and thus are known as the “doomsday fish.” In 2011, Japan’s most powerful earthquake struck after the appearance of 20 oarfish on its shores. A tsunami caused by the earthquake tragically resulted in the deaths of 15,000 people, leading some to place suspicion toward the mysterious oarfish appearances.
However, there has been no evidence linking oarfish to the earthquake, leaving the supposed association mere speculation.
“The possibility of natural disasters signaled by oarfish should not be significantly constrained just to the sighting of them,” Jonathan Vi ’25 said. “There could be other pushing factors such as ocean levels rising or global warming conditions that affect sightings of oarfish.”
Since 1901, only 21 oarfish have ever washed upon the shores of California waters, and are considered incredibly rare. Because of this, questions have been raised about what brings these strange creatures to the shores.
“The sightings of oarfish appearing could be because of changes in the ocean due to global warming, leading to them washing ashore. It’s hard to say since they live so deep and it’s hard to observe them,” suggested Mia Campero ’26.
UC San Diego researcher Ben Frable suggests recent climate changes in the ocean’s topography may be behind the sighting. Additionally, La Jolla has two underwater canyons that funnel deep water up to its shores, tending to be a hot spot for injured deep sea fish.
While some ponder over the omen of whether California will be facing a soon-to-be-coming natural disaster, scientists find this an incredible opportunity to study such a magnificent creature.
“While I do find the phenomena of the oarfish to be quite fascinating, I do not see any scientific evidence linking their sightings with predicting catastrophic events,” said Human Body Systems teacher Brian Tuel, concluding that “Weather patterns in El Niño and La Niña can disrupt food availability at various depths, and can prompt these deep sea fish to venture outside of normal feeding conditions.”