‘Doomsday harbinger’ oarfish reeled in by fishermen sparking fears of natural disaster

Fishermen caught an oarfish in shallow water – and it’s not a good omen (Picture: Jam Press)

Another devastating natural disaster is imminent… or at least that’s what people are fearing after a rare doomsday fish was caught in Thailand.

The oarfish is a giant sea creature known as the ‘harbinger of doom’ that lives in the depths of the ocean and is scarcely seen by human eyes.

According to Japanese folklore, if you’re ever lucky enough – or in this case, very unlucky – to see one in shallow waters, it means an earthquake or tsunami is about to hit.

Fishermen reeled in the eerie-looking beast, which can grow to as long as 11 metres, in the Andaman Sea on Wednesday. 

But the very fact it was caught at typical fishing depths has ignited fears among locals in La-ngu, Satun province, on Thailand’s south west coast, just days after Japan was rocked by a deadly earthquake.

‘If encountering an oarfish in the vicinity of Satun, it may indicate a potential concern for an earthquake along the Andaman coast,’ said local resident Boomerange.

‘And there could be a tsunami as well.’

Natural disaster fears have been ignited after this beast was reeled in by fishermen in Thailand (Picture: Jam Press)

Marine ecology lecturer Thō̜n Thamrongnāwāsawat of Kasetsart University said: ‘The Andaman Sea is deep, with depths of up to 2,000 metres in Thailand.

‘However, oarfish are not typically caught, as people generally don’t fish in deep waters.’

Wannarrong Sa-ard said: ‘It looks like an oarfish. Oarfish, nicknamed the “earthquake fish”, is a deep-sea fish. ‘When it surfaces, earthquakes often occur.’

And Buhya warned: ‘With the sea in turmoil, be ready to face natural disasters.’

The oarfish is also known as the ‘doomsday harbinger’ (Picture: Jam Press)

It comes after one of the worst Nostradamus prophecies for 2024 was fulfilled just hours into the new year.

At least 92 people were killed in a devastating earthquake in Japan on New Year’s Day and 242 are still missing after the critical 72-hour period to find survivors passed.

Homes collapsed, buildings were razed to the ground by fires caused by tremors and more than 200 aftershocks terrified the nation.

Roads also gave way, while heavy rain has triggered destructive landslides.

Tsunami warnings were issued along the entire west coast of Honshu, Japan’s main most populated island, as waves measuring more than one metre crashed into the Ishikawa region.

The earthquake left a trail of destruction in its wake with some towns on the Noto peninsula completely flattened by fires.

Parts of Wajima city in Ishikawa were reduced to rubble after a devastating earthquake hit Japan on New Year’s Day (Picture: Xinhua/Shutterstock)

At least 92 people have been killed in Japan and 242 are still missing (Picture: Reuters)

Referred to as the ‘prophet of doom’, 16th-century French astrologer Michel de Nostredame is known for predicting the Great Fire of London, the rise of Adolf Hitler and even Bitcoin to name just a few.

His vision of the future is laid out in his 1555 collection ‘Les Propheties’, and while his writings are vague, some believe he foresaw the 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Japan.

‘The dry Earth will become more parched and there will be great floods,’ the prophet wrote at the time.

He also said 2024 would see a ‘great famine through pestiferous wave’ hit – with a ‘pestiferous wave’ thought to be the earthquake.

Oarfish are not normally found in shallow water or even at normal fishing depths (Picture: Jam Press)

But Dr Thamrongnāwāsawat has sought to calm fears despite the sighting of the doomsday oarfish and the bad omen it signifies.

He wrote: ‘Recently, the cold water entering the Andaman Sea has led to unusual fish sightings due to the Indian Ocean Dipole.

‘Previously, a Mola mola was caught in a net, and now an oarfish. It’s plausible that these fish are following the cold water mass.

‘While unusual events occur in the ocean, understanding the context helps avoid unnecessary alarm.’

The massive creatures normally live 1,000 metres below the surface in the depths of the ocean (Picture: Jam Press)

Oarfish usually live at depths of around 1,000 metres, feed on tiny plankton and are very rarely seen at the surface.

Japanese geologist Kiyoshi Wadatsumi says the theory behind the legend could be based on science.

He said in a 2013 report: ‘Deep-sea fish living near the sea bottom are more sensitive to the movements of active faults than those near the surface of the sea.’

The UK has been hit by the force of nature this week with more than 1,000 homes flooded across the country due to heavy rain after a major incident was declared.

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These beasts are rarely seen by human eyes.