Giant 'Doomsday Fish' Washes Ashore in Chile, Reigniting Disaster Fears

A 16-foot-long oarfish, often referred to as a 'Doomsday fish,' has washed ashore in Mejillones, northern Chile, prompting renewed concerns about potential natural disasters. The creature's appearance on Tuesday has fueled speculation, particularly given its association in Japanese folklore with warnings of impending calamities.

This sighting occurs amidst a series of significant earthquakes in South America and the Caribbean, leading some to fear that Chile or the U.S. West Coast could be next. "Not a good omen," one observer commented online, while another claimed, "An earthquake is coming to the north." Geophysicist Stefan Burns, who has predicted a major earthquake on the California Coast by 2030, reacted to the news by stating, "Here we go again."

The oarfish, a deep-sea species that typically inhabits depths of 3,000 feet, is rarely seen by humans, making strandings an unusual event.

Previous oarfish appearances have been anecdotally linked to natural disasters. In August 2026, a dead oarfish was found on a beach in Indonesia shortly before six volcanoes in the region erupted or showed signs of activity. In early October, a magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck the same area. In late February, two live oarfish washed ashore in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, followed by a magnitude 4.1 earthquake less than 15 miles away in March. The region also experienced multiple hurricanes in September and October, causing significant damage.

In Chile, the last major earthquake occurred just over a year ago on October 10, 2025, when a magnitude 7.6 quake struck the Drake Passage, triggering tsunami alerts along the South American and Antarctic coasts.

Despite these correlations, scientific research has not established a definitive link between oarfish appearances and natural disasters. A 2019 study published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America examined reports of deep-sea fish appearances and earthquakes in Japan between 1928 and 2011. The researchers found no statistically significant connection, labeling the belief an "illusory correlation."

Similarly, a 2018 study analyzing oarfish strandings along the California coast over the past century found only 19 documented occurrences. However, Chile's location along the active Nazca Plate and South American Plate boundary makes it highly susceptible to seismic activity, capable of generating massive earthquakes. This tectonic setting contributes to the region's volcanic activity and the buildup of significant stress along the plate boundary.