The Earthquake Fish
In Japanese lore, a giant silver fish washing ashore is a warning that an earthquake is coming.
What was reported
The giant oarfish, the longest bony fish in the world, can grow more than 8 metres long, with a silvery ribbon of a body and a red crest. It lives deep in the ocean and is rarely seen alive. In Japan it's called ryūgū no tsukai, 'messenger from the sea god's palace'.
Folklore says oarfish rise to the surface before earthquakes. About 20 were reported washed up or caught along Japan's coasts in the year before the Tōhoku earthquake of March 2011, which strengthened the belief.
Explanations offered
A 2019 study compared records of deep-sea fish appearances in Japan with earthquakes and found no meaningful link. Oarfish may come to the surface when they're sick or swept up by currents. The fish are real and remarkable; the earthquake connection is folklore.
- When
- Strandings before March 2011
- Where
- Sea of Japan coast, Japan
- Witnesses
- Fishermen and beachgoers
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.