The mystery of the "ocean messenger" fish, everywhere it drifts, makes fishermen afraid of turning blue

Public opinion in the Philippines in recent days has been stirred when a paddlefish suddenly washed up on the coast of Quezon province, raising concerns about imminent dangers in the region.

According to initial information, the paddlefish, which is about 3 meters long and weighs 22 kilograms, was discovered by fishermen in the early morning hours of February 4 when they set sail. Instead of pulling the batch of fish as usual, the group of fishermen saw a strange creature located near the port area. The clip recording the silver fish lying on the sand, surrounded by a large number of people gathering to talk, quickly went viral on social networks.

Marlon Butardo, a local resident, said that at first no one knew what kind of fish it was. "We just found it very long and strange. Some neighbors say that paddle fish usually appear before an earthquake or a big storm, so everyone is very scared," he said. In front of the bewilderment of the people, the incident was reported to the local authorities.

Immediately afterwards, officials from the City Agriculture Office were present to process the fish carcasses, collect samples for research and conduct burial in accordance with the process. Officials also reassured the people, saying that it is necessary to look at the incident scientifically to avoid spreading rumors that cause unnecessary confusion.

Oarfish is an extremely rare deep-sea fish that is considered one of the longest bony fish in the world. They usually inhabit depths of hundreds of meters below the surface of the water, where humans can barely observe. Therefore, the fact that paddle fish wash ashore always makes the public curious and associated with many mysterious speculations.

Since ancient times, people living along the coast have believed that paddle fish have the ability to "predict" earthquakes not only in the Philippines but are also common in many Asian countries, especially Japan. Swimming from the deep seabed to warn people of impending disasters.

This belief was further strengthened after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011, which killed more than 19,000 people. Previously, in the late 2009 period and throughout 2010, dozens of rare paddlefish washed up on the coast of Japan. According to Forbes, it is this coincidence that makes it easy for many people to associate the appearance of paddle fish with major earthquakes.

Not only in Japan or the Philippines, in Vietnam, in May 2025, people in Ninh Thuan province also discovered a paddlefish about 3 meters long drifting on the coast of Vinh Hy, causing a stir in public opinion and raising many similar concerns.

However, scientists insist that so far there is no scientific evidence that paddlefish are capable of predicting earthquakes. Some theories have suggested that the displacement of tectonic plates on the seafloor can generate electromagnetic currents, affecting deep-dwelling fish such as paddlefish, causing them to be pushed into shallow waters. This may explain why paddlefish sometimes appear before or after earthquakes.

A research team in Japan compiled data from November 1928 to March 2011 and recorded 336 sightings of paddlefish. The results showed that no cases occurred within 30 days before an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or more, nor did any earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 occur within 10 days after the appearance of paddlefish.

Scientists suggest that paddlefish wash ashore may be related to changes in deep-sea ecosystems, such as fluctuations in water temperatures, abnormal ocean currents, or their chasing of prey. Because this fish lives in a very deep environment and rarely approaches humans, understanding of their behavior is still limited.

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