A Taiwanese diving instructor reported a rare sighting of an “earthquake fish” in the shallow waters off the coast of Taiwan last week.
The diver, Wang Cheng-Ru, shared footage of the usually deepsea oarfish, sightings of which at the ocean surface have been associated with earthquakes.
His footage, taken off the coast of New Taipei’s Ruifang District, east of Keelung on June 28, was picked up by local media outlets.
The oarfish, or Regalecus russelii, is usually found at depths of 1,000 meters (3,280 feet). Traditional cultures including those in Taiwan, Japan, and Peru, have noted sightings throughout the historic record of the fish appearing in surface waters directly before or after significant seismic activity….