Rare oarfish discovered on California shore - Is a massive earthquake on its way?

An elusive oarfish was found in the sea just off shore from La Jolla, CA yesterday. The oarfish are associated with earthquakes and their appearance is thought to warn of impending natural disaster.

style="margin:0;padding:0;font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; word-wrap: break-word;">LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The National marine Fisheries plucked the carcass of a dead oarfish Shell Beach in La Jolla yesterday. La Jolla is an upscale community just north of San Diego.

The appearance of the oarfish has some speculating that an earthquake could be imminent because the fish are associated with seismic events. Oarfish normally live as deep as 3,000 feet and are very long, sometimes over 50 feet. They swim upright and feed on small crustaceans.

These elusive creatures have been spotted live at the surface, but only on very rare occasion. When they do appear, they seem to coincide with quakes.

A 6.6 quake struck in the Gulf of Mexico just two days ago, which could further fuel the association between the mysterious fish and earthquakes.

California has not suffered a major quake for several years and some speculate that the state could be overdue for a major event. If more oarfish appear in the coming days, speculation will become rampant.

Skeptics argue that the association is purely coincidental and that there is no scientific evidence of a link between the two phenomena.

For now, the National Marine Fisheries will study the carcass to determine the cause of death and to learn more about the oarfish.

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