This Is Why Oarfish Rises To The Surface According To Experts
Divers have made a stunning find in the waters off Taiwan's northeastern coast: an enormous deep-sea oarfish.
Video taken in late June 2023 shows an oarfish over six feet long.
Oarfish is a species that lives in the deep sea. Their home is in the mesopelagic zone 200 to 1,000 meters below sea level, so they are rarely seen.
But somehow, the fish ended up in the zone being explored by divers, far from home where it lives.
It is known that oarfish rarely come to the surface of the sea. The cause of the oarfish rising to the surface is said to be possible only when it is dying or has lost its way.
Occasionally washes up on beaches around their range (all seas are tropical to warm).
Most oarfish found near the surface or near shore do not survive.
The emergence of oarfish almost to the surface is often considered a bad sign. Many believe that this deep-sea dweller is a sign of an imminent earthquake.
However, experts claim that this earthquake anticipation theory is actually unfounded.
"There is no scientific evidence of the link, so I don't think one should be concerned," said Hiroyuki Motomura, a professor of ichthyology at Kagoshima University.
"I believe these fish tend to surface when their physical condition is bad, rising above the water currents, which is why they often die when found," added Hiroyuki Motomura.
The body of the oarfish has no scales.
Oarfish is said to be able to reach a length longer than a school bus. Although not too many that big.
This fish has a bright silver color and long red fins. Some people worldwide know it as a ribbonfish (fish ribbon).
The first few elements of the back fin are long and thin, resembling a crown, and give rise to another common name for this species, King of Herrings.
Oarfish have very large eyes, which they use to see in very low light conditions in the deep open ocean, their habitat.
However, the oarfish is quite harmless. They have very small, toothless mouths. They feed by filtering small prey from the water.
