A recent sighting of the deep-water oarfish dubbed the “doomsday fish,” has generated severe concerns for California weather amid bomb cyclone threats. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography posted on Facebook that an Oceanography PhD candidate, Alison Laferriere, discovered the deep sea creature on the shores of Encinitas. The recent spotting of the fish, often considered bad news, was the third in the last three months and 22nd in the past century, reported CNN.
Deep-water oarfish spotted in Southern California for the third time this year
Amid the “once in a decade” bomb cyclone threats, a deceased doomsday fish washed on the shores of Encinitas, California. CNN extensively reported on the subject citing Atlas Obscura, which mentioned that Japanese mythology associates shallow-water sightings of the deep-sea oarfish as a sign of incoming earthquakes and tsunamis. Reportedly, Japan witnessed a dozen sightings of the creature in 2010, and in March of the following year, the country faced one of its largest recorded earthquakes and devastating tsunamis.
The Scripps Institution noted that Alison Laferriere discovered the doomsday fish on November 6. In addition, it revealed that the “cool creature” measured about “9 to 10 feet long” and was “a bit smaller” than the one spotted in La Jolla earlier this year in August. Scripps Oceanography Marine Vertebrate Collection manager Ben Frable claimed their experts “took samples and froze the specimen awaiting further study and final preservation.” Frable believes the specimen and its sample will uncover more about “the biology, anatomy, genomics, and life history of oarfishes.”
Kayakers and snorkelers had sighted the first 12-foot-long doomsday fish in La Jolla Cove in August. The oarfish was in a preservable condition at the time of its discovery, after which the Scripps Institution’s Marine Vertebrate Collection collected it for further examination. Frable told CNN that the second fish was found in a “degraded” state in Huntington Beach in September.
In other news, AP News stated that the bomb cyclone has caused harsh weather conditions in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. The Weather Prediction Center has issued warnings of heavy rainfall and strong winds in the regions from Tuesday to Friday. Meteorologist Richard Bann also noted that south of Portland, Oregon, and the north of the San Francisco area will face severe rainfall during the storm.
