Another rare ‘doomsday fish’ discovered off Southern California coast

Related video above: Rare oarfish washes up near the La Jolla Shores

SAN DIEGO ( KUSI ) — Another oarfish has made its way from the deep sea to the coast of San Diego County in Southern California.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography researchers stumbled upon the rare fish, considered the largest vertebrate in the world's oceans, at Grandview Beach in Encinitas last week.

It marks the second time this year an oarfish has been discovered — dead — within San Diego County: The first sighting was back in August near the La Jolla Shores. The one recovered in Encinitas was a little smaller than the first, measuring about 9 to 10 feet long.

As they did with the earlier specimen, Scripps Oceanography researchers helped transport the newly found oarfish to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Southwest Fisheries Science Center for preservation and study.

"Like with the previous oarfish, this specimen and the samples taken from it will be able to tell us much about the biology, anatomy, genomics and life history of oarfishes," Ben Frable, manager of the Scripps Oceanography Marine Vertebrate Collection, said.

Nicknamed the "doomsday fish" for its connection in Japanese folklore to natural disasters, oarfish are known for their string-like dorsal fin and long, narrow bodies that can grow up to 30 feet. While rare, they can most frequently be found deep in temperate or tropical ocean waters.

Its reputation as a harbinger of doom is the species' biggest claim to fame, with some recent anecdotal evidence fueling this theory — like the finding of more than 20 oarfish on the shores of Japan months before the 2011 magnitude 9.1 earthquake.

This being said, studies have largely disproven the connection, with one 2019 publication calling it a "typical illusory correlation."

Still, finding one of these fish has been exceedingly rare — especially in California. Up until last week's finding, only 20 had been located along the Golden State's coast since the early 1900s.

Why two have washed up within the last few months is an open question. Frable suggested changes in the conditions of the ocean could have played a role, but he also said it could be linked to the shift from El Niño to La Niña.

"This wash-up coincided with the recent red tide and Santa Ana winds last week but many variables could lead to these strandings," he explained, noting that evidence to support any of these theories is minimal.

Should beachgoers stumble upon another oarfish — or any unique sea creature stranded on the beach — Scripps Oceanography experts urge people to alert lifeguards first. For those in San Diego, they then encourage contacting the institute at or 858-534-3624.

Experts also note beachgoers are largely prohibited from taking home organisms themselves, as much of the California coastline is designated as Marine Protected Areas.