And while speaking of Giant Oarfish, I don’t know if anyone else have done this yet, but I managed to catch one that was 896cm long in the Boat On Sea tournament, thus concluding it can be caught there too! =) Okay now, Have fun everyone =). Since the Giant Oarfish has appeared in Fishao the WR for biggest fish is steadily improving. And now there is an impressive new WR. This time it is DarkRaven who has set the new WR to 938 cm!
As you can imagine, fish that resemble 600-pound sea serpents have a bit of backstory (true and untrue) surrounding them. For instance, it's pretty rare for a giant oarfish to wash up, although it might not seem so with all the attendant cell phone photos and social media coverage. Even the two October 2013 California discoveries probably weren't coincidence: The same heavy storm likely caused a surge that caught both of the oarfish and carried them to turbulent waters. These big creatures aren't terribly adept swimmers, so they probably took a beating. Once they're closer to shore, it's easier for them to wind up on the beach [source: Schaefer].
But some claim that giant oarfish have a much more mysterious motivation for beaching. There's a Japanese legend that oarfish can predict earthquakes, and there are several (anecdotal) instances wherein beached oarfish coincide with seismic activity [source: Connor]. There are a few theories about how this would work. For instance, perhaps a release of carbon monoxide gas before an earthquake causes a mass exodus from deeper parts of the sea. On a similar note, hydrogen peroxide could be produced if deep-sea rocks have built up enough pressure to release a massive amount of ions in the water before a quake. Sea animals would have to surface more or move to shore, as we see the oarfish doing [source: Connor]. Of course, neither of these theories have ever been proven (or even studied), and scientists point out that it wouldn't just be oarfish that would feel these effects [source: BBC Radio].
Fishao Giant Oarfish
Advertisement
But there's an even bigger issue with this myth -- it's not even about the giant oarfish [source: Yamamoto]. Nope, this legend has to do with the slightly smaller slender oarfish (Regalecus russelii), which the Japanese call ryuguno tsukai, or 'Messenger from the Sea God's Palace.' (Which puts the designation 'oarfish' to shame.) But don't relax too much -- is it a coincidence these smaller oarfish were washing up on Japan's shore a mere year before the big 2011 earthquake [source: Yamamoto]? Well, probably.
Author's Note: How Giant Oarfish Work
As someone who lives on the coast, I consider myself fairly jaded about sea creatures washing up to shore. Mola? Yawn. Squid? Just another day. But there's something about the giant oarfish -- perhaps its unreasonably large size, tempered by its nearly troutlike face -- that really must give one pause. I think I'd like my monsters to stay in the sea, thank you.
Related Articles
Sources
- BBC Radio. 'Oceanographer debunks oarfish earthquake myth.' BBC. Oct. 23, 2013. (Nov. 5, 2013) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24638595
- Bester, Cathleen. 'Oarfish.' Florida Museum of Natural History. (Nov. 5, 2013) http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/OarFish/OarFish.html
- Burton, Maurice and Burton, Robert. 'International Wildlife Encyclopedia.' Marshall Cavendish. 2002. http://books.google.com/books?id=E3jeDU7KuhEC&pg=PA1768#v=onepage&q&f=false
- Carstens, John. 'Seals find serpent of the Sea.' All Hands Magazine. April 1997. (Nov. 5, 2013) http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/archpdf/ah199704.pdf
- Connor, Steve. 'Oarfish mystery.' The Independent. Oct. 22, 2013. (Nov. 5, 2013) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/oarfish-mystery-earthquake-rumours-over-beached-giant-snakelike-fish-in-california-8897016.html
- Froese, Rainer and Reyes, Rodolfo B. 'Regalecus glesne.' Fishbase.org. (Nov. 5, 2013) http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Regalecus-glesne.html
- Garilao, Cristina V. and Froese, Rainer. 'Regalecus russelii.' Fishbase.org. (Nov. 5, 2013) http://www.fishbase.org/summary/25038
- Goldman, Russell. 'Monster oarfish beachings raise earthquake questions.' ABC News. Oct. 22, 2013. (Nov. 5, 2013) http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2013/10/can-monster-oarfish-really-predict-earthquakes/
- Howard, Brian Clark. '5 surprising facts about the oarfish that has been washing up on beaches.' National Geographic. Oct. 22, 2013. (Nov. 5, 2013) http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131022-giant-oarfish-facts-sea-serpents/?rptregcta=reg_free_np&rptregcampaign=20131016_rw_membership_r1p_us_se_c1&conf=89420762-2cf3-4919-be6b-69ee243391ca#
- Knight, J.D. 'Oarfish.' Sea and Sky. (Nov. 5, 2013) http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/oarfish.html
- Mazza, Sandy. 'Scientists eager to unlock mysteries of deep-sea oarfish.' The Torrance Daily Breeze. Oct. 22, 2013. (Nov. 5, 2013) http://www.dailybreeze.com/environment-and-nature/20131022/scientists-eager-to-unlock-mysteries-of-deep-sea-oarfish
- National Marine Fisheries. 'Giant Oarfish.' National Oceanic and Atmostpheric Administration. (Nov. 6, 2013) http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/rss/podcasts/weirdfins/oarfish.htm
- Schaefer, Samantha. 'Deaths of two giant oarfish may be linked, scientists say.' Los Angeles Times. Oct. 21, 2013. (Nov. 5, 2013) http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1022-oarfish-20131022,0,995333.story#axzz2jh2Kx6f7
- Whittaker, D.E. 'Recent examinations of the oarfish, regalecus glesne, from the North Sea.' Yorkshire Coast Sealife, Fisheries and Maritime Archive and Museum. 2013. (Nov. 5, 2013) http://yorkshirecoastmaritimearchive.co.uk/?p=225
- Yamamoto, Daiki. 'Sea serpents' arrival puzzling, or portentous?' The Japan Times. March 6, 2010. (Nov. 5, 2013) http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2010/03/06/national/sea-serpents-arrival-puzzling-or-portentous/#.UngnfpR4ZLo
- big catch giant oarfish 894 cm the giant oarfish is biggest fish ever in fishao
- kkk esse ryam eu to a quase (200dias) e nao consigo minha vara do fishao acho que so daqui 300 devo ter 1500 moedas so teno 367 vo em torneios e etc.
- Dan_andrei
- qivittoq74 .Hi Salty,Today I got my oarfish too, not WR but still a nice fish: 801cmCheers,
nosiop - julius m
- tupac
- julius m
- Ryan Lucas Arrudaeu adoro jogar Fishao é muito divertido os gráficos são ótimos eu já recomendei esse jogo para todos os meus amigos e todos eles jogam agora e também gostam muito desse jogo! ai como eu gostaria muito de ter uma vara do fishao para poder ter a chance de pegar um peixe desses e muitos outros !! eu também gostaria de saber se vocês poderiam me dar uma vara do Fishao ou pelo menos me dar uma chance de ter ela , eu daria tudo o que eu tenho no jogo por ela ! Desde já agradeço.
- dj
- Tomoyo Kinomoto
- Fill1998Hey Salty,
I caught Oarfish, little but I ´m happy =)- joshua
- tupac
- joshua
- gustavo_13_720