Will a Major Earthquake Occur? Deep-Sea Ribbonfish Caught Consecutively off the 'Ring of Fire' Coasts of Chile and Mexico

Discovered During the Great East Japan Earthquake... Controversy Over Earthquake Precursors

The ribbonfish (scientific name Regalecus glesne) is the longest bony fish in the world, growing up to an average length of 10 meters. It inhabits deep waters at depths of 200 to 1000 meters. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Photo by Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] Following Chile, a giant oarfish living in the deep sea was caught in Mexico, spreading fear that it might be a precursor to disasters such as earthquakes or tsunamis.

The oarfish family ribbonfish (scientific name Regalecus glesne) is known as a precursor phenomenon to earthquakes. It is the longest bony fish in the world, growing up to an average length of 10 meters, and inhabits the deep sea at depths of 200 to 1000 meters.

According to foreign media including the New York Post on the 10th (local time), an approximately 4-meter-long oarfish was caught off the coast of Sinaloa, Mexico on the 5th.

Earlier, in July, an approximately 5-meter-long oarfish was also captured in Arica, northern Chile.

Some view the consecutive catches of oarfish as a sign that an earthquake is imminent. Chile and Mexico are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone known for frequent earthquakes.

In fact, in July 2020, a few days after an oarfish was found in Alaska, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred. In the same year, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Mexico ten days after an oarfish appeared.

Before the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, which caused the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, many oarfish were also found in Japan. In Japan, the oarfish, called 'Ryugu no Tsukai,' is traditionally believed to rise from the Dragon Palace to warn of earthquakes and tsunamis.

However, the prevailing opinion is that the folklore related to oarfish lacks scientific evidence. In Japan, where earthquakes frequently occur, research has been conducted to verify the correlation between deep-sea fish and major earthquakes.

In 2019, a research team led by Professor Orihara Yoshiaki analyzed 221 major earthquakes up to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and found that there was only one instance where an earthquake occurred within 100 km radius within 30 days of the appearance of deep-sea fish (such as oarfish and sakegashira).

Meanwhile, there are also claims that El Ni?o (a phenomenon where sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific remain higher than average for several months) is related. Some researchers interpret that when El Ni?o occurs, the temperature at depth actually becomes colder, causing deep-sea fish to rise to the warmer surface waters in search of food.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.