Deep-Sea ‘Doomsday Fish’ Keep Washing Ashore and People Are Panicking

As if 2025 didn’t have enough ominous energy, now we’ve got a doomsday fish.

An oarfish, mythologically thought of as a harbinger of impending doom, recently washed ashore in the Canary Islands. The fish was several feet long, and a shimmering light blue color with orange spines.

According to Japanese legend, oarfish will purposefully beach themselves to warn of an impending disaster — most commonly an earthquake or tsunami.

They have been spotted in the past ahead of natural disasters, including the 2011 Fukushima quake.

In August 2024, an oarfish was found in La Jolla Cove. Two days later, a 4.6 earthquake rattled Los Angeles.

In fact, three oarfish washed ashore last year. This was especially unusual given that only 21 of the sea serpents have been discovered on land since 1901.

Many online commenters see the ‘doomsday fish’ as a warning about impending disaster

However, most experts say the link is mere coincidence.

“The link to reports of seismic activity goes back many, many years, but there is no scientific evidence of a connection so I don’t think people need to worry,” Hiroyuki Motomura, a professor of ichthyology at Kagoshima University, told the Morning Post back in 2019.

“I believe these fish tend to rise to the surface when their physical condition is poor, rising on water currents, which is why they are so often dead when they are found,” he explained.

However, the link between the two could be symbolic of larger environmental issues, said Uozu Aquarium keeper Kazusa Saiba.

“There is no scientific evidence at all for the theory that oarfish appear around big quakes. But we cannot 100 percent deny the possibility,” Saiba told CNN. “It could be that global warming might have an impact on the appearance of oarfish or a reason we’re just not aware of.”

Whether or not the “doomsday” creature will predict some ominous upcoming event, its presence on the shore was bad news for the fish itself. The species generally live at a depth of 3,200 feet, and their presence in shallow waters typically means they are sick or dying.