A rare fish washed up on a California shore, and the consequences of the moment have yet to be determined.
According to the NY Post, an oarfish was found along the rocky shoreline of Grandview Beach in Encinitas last week. Oarfish are very rare and rather strange in appearance. This particular oarfish in question was roughly 10 feet in length. Importantly, the oarfish's carcass was brought back to a lab by researchers after being initially found by UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
The fish will be studied, with experts hoping to better understand the biology, anatomy, genomics, and life history of the species. The find is newsworthy because oarfish are generally understood to be rarely seen by humans.
With that said, this oarfish is the second of the species to be found on a California shore in the last three months. In August, a 12-foot oarfish carcass was found by kayakers coasting through La Jolla Cove, which is only 20 or so miles south of Grandview Beach.
Another Deceased Oarfish Has Been Found Washed Up On A California Shore
Oarfish are deep-sea dwellers and are therefore rarely seen by humans. Moreover, once deceased, oarfish carcasses rarely float to the top of the surface.
On the rare occasions that oarfish make their way to land, the days which follow are rumored to be quite momentous. Oarfish have long been thought to float ashore in the days which precede natural disasters. Namely, oarfish are thought to often wash ashore before earthquakes. Interestingly, after the oarfish was found in La Jolla Cove, a 4.6 earthquake shook Los Angeles just two days later.
While such stories and theories are fun to consider, experts say they have been debunked. Rather, the new sightings are chalked up to different factors. Experts have suggested that increased numbers of oarfish off the California coast are the result of changes in ocean conditions. With more fish in the area, the likelihood that a fish or two will end up on shore obviously increases. Other experts suggest that changing tide conditions play the largest role in more oarfish ending up on shore.
Regardless, with only twenty oarfish having washed on California shores since 1901, it is always newsworthy when it happens.
