Deep-sea Oar fishes wash ashore, stirs fear of tremor in Buenavista

By Ben Serrano,
Correspondent

SURIGAO City — Oar fishes washed ashore recently off the coast of Buenavista, Agusan del Norte which has caused fear of possible earthquakes in their coastal community.

On Feb. 8, fisherfolk found oar fishes and three days later a magnitude 6.7 earthquake rocked this city.

The earthquake has already cause eight deaths and has affected more than 7,000 persons, P201 million worth of damaged infrastructures. The city has been declared under the state of calamity.

But prior to the discovery of the 3.26-meter oar fish, two other oar fishes on Jan. 26 and 29, respectively were in Masao Beach in coastal village of Barangay Masao, Butuan City.

On Saturday, only hours after the 6.7 quake jolted this city and rest of Surigao del Norte, two oar fishes were found in the coastal town of Bontoc, Southern Leyte and reportedly in Camiguin.

In coastal, southeastern part of Tohuku, Japan on Sept. 23, 2015, some twenty oar fishes were found after they were washed ashore, five days after they were found, Japan was hit by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake.

In Japan, oar fishes have long figured into folklore. Smaller than the giant oar fish, the related slender oar fish (Regalecus russelii) is known there as the “Messenger from the Sea God’s Palace.”

And according to traditional belief, if many of the fish wash up, it may signal a coming earthquake.

According to Japan Times, there could be some scientific basis to the story, even if scientists don’t currently use fish behavior to predict tremors.

Kiyoshi Wadatsumi, a scientist who studies earthquakes at the nonprofit organization e-PISCO, told the paper, “Deep-sea fish living near the sea bottom are more sensitive to the movements of active faults than those near the surface of the sea.”