Rare oarfish, seen as harbingers of doom, snagged in Japan

Rare oarfish, seen as harbingers of doom, snagged in Japan

The title should have been changed to 'Even rarer oarfish, seen as harbingers of doom, snagged in Japan'

Well... these fish normally live at rather deep depths, so when brought to the surface, internally explode and die....

Why didnt they release them back into the ocean? T

Smells like something fishy going on.

Wouldn't it have died in the aquarium anyway? Don't deep sea fish exist at a different pressure?

If there are indeed more sightings of these rare oar fish, it might also be linked to rising ocean acidic levels, or to rising sea temps. Or not.

Curious amount of superstitions creeping into the discussions these days. Reminds me of the Y2K end of days scenario that people got into a frenzy about.

Don't worry about oarfish in the underworld.

speaking from my blue(sea) hat, and as a scuba diver,...don’t kill these fish!

It is like dumping women in water in Salam last century.

An earthquake will occur in Japan? Inconceivable!

Harbinger of the big one that we are hearing more and more about?

The plot thickens. Will we rock or not? I did have some dark premonitions lately, though. Just saying.

Oarfish live between 200 and 1,000 meters below the surface of the Pacific and the Indian Oceans

Not only. Jeremy Wade (river monsters) saw one in the Mediterranean sea a couple of years ago.

Apparently, if you catch one, it means there will be a major earthquake sometime in the next 30 years.

The pair netted off Okinawa died en route to an aquarium

Looking at the picture and reading this part here tells me that these fish were probably dead prior to their so-called "attempt" to take them to Churaumi Aquarium.

So, they knew they were rare, but they killed and kept them anyway.

Maybe not. There is a local fish that looks quite similar, but much shorter in length.

Bet it tastes Oarful

@Tokyo-Engr - Japanese folklore has it that they move to shallower seas before underwater earthquakes, possibly due to electromagnetic changes that occur with tectonic activity.

One very plausible explanation could be related to what is happening deep inside our planet

For a self-stayed scientist you seem to have made conclusions of these fish based on myth and hearsay. They are rare fish, but it is not uncommon to find them in shallower waters. These fish, like its smaller cousin the Haitail, swim vertically in the water column searching for a meal. Also, they are often caught in pairs in shallow water, which may be part of a breeding pattern or a hunting strategy.

As a scientist myself I have always paid attention to folk lore. Some considered the multiple centuries old warnings on the stone tablets in Tohoku to be a form of folk lore but in reality this was a warning that the ancestors of those in the area left for future generations. I think this type of warning is the same only passed down as an oral warning.

Who knows if this is a sign of anything to come but I believe these types of warnings exist for a reason. There certainly have been some strange climatic and geological things happening on this planet over the past 1-2 years.

Related to this specific issue; I would like to throw one item out there for those reading to ponder. The article states;

Japanese folklore has it that they move to shallower seas before underwater earthquakes, possibly due to electromagnetic changes that occur with tectonic activity.

One very plausible explanation could be related to what is happening deep inside our planet which has caused some interesting things to happen to the north pole (interesting shift) which is a result of magnetic field changes due to changes in subterranean lava flow. This could also be an explanation as to why the fish are moving to shallower water.

https://www.sciencealert.com/navigation-systems-finally-caught-up-with-the-mysteriously-north-pole-shift

https://www.straitstimes.com/world/magnetic-north-pole-mysteriously-accelerates

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/compass-needles-point-to-a-mystery-shift-in-magnetic-north-pole-pngws79gc

Fishermen were stunned to find a pair of the silvery fish -- the bigger one measuring four meters -- alive in their nets late last month

So, they knew they were rare, but they killed and kept them anyway. Way to go! Perhaps the pending doom myth comes from kahma.

Is beautiful. Shame it died. Wonder if it's expensive and legal to keep it.

Once again, some can read, but not comprehend, sarcasm!

Fisheries officials? What "Fish Cops" had to confirm that these backwards Okinawan's didnt kill the fish for sashimi be before attempting to take them to the aquarium?

If the shoe fits, Cinderella, wear it.

The pair netted off Okinawa died en route to an aquarium before fishermen ate part of a fin as sashimi -- although fisheries officials noted only a portion that had ripped off while loading one of the creatures onto the boat had been sampled.

What the hell is the point of this last paragraph? Trying to make the fishermen out to be a bunch of barbarians?

Fisheries officials? What "Fish Cops" had to confirm that these backwards Okinawan's didnt kill the fish for sashimi be before attempting to take them to the aquarium?

We already heard about those fish last month, these are the same ones. what's the point of bringing it up again? just blatant fear-mongering

Interesting piece of folklore. Any science to support it?