Taiwan is surrounded by an ocean with a diverse underwater ecosystem. Much about the ocean is yet to be discovered, and a recent encounter between one fisher and a number of rare sea creatures has people asking even more questions.
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A fishmonger in southern Taiwan’s coastal Chenggong Township posted online saying a fisher reeled in nearly 50 oarfish in one trip. Oarfish are long, serpentlike silver fish with large eyes. They usually live between 20 to 1,000 meters below the ocean’s surface. In this instance, the oarfish catch totaled up to a whopping 400 kilograms.
Rather than celebrating a huge catch, some people are feeling cautious. According to folklore, when these fish are found near the shore, an earthquake is about to happen.
One fisher says catching this many oarfish is unusual. Locals consider oarfish to be harbingers of earthquakes, so they are also known as “earthquake fish.” However, there is currently no definitive scientific research to validate this correlation.
Instead, some people wonder whether the recent military drills around Taiwan made the oarfish surface from the depths. A researcher says there is no correlation at all because the fish live too far below the surface. Instead, he says the fisher probably used a special technique to reel in the big catch.