Birch Aquarium shows off rare ‘Doomsday Fish’ in new exhibit

A striking -foot oarfish on display in the new exhibit Oarfish New Discoveries from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Collection at the Birch Aquarium Photo Courtesy of the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego The Birch Aquarium is turning heads with its latest exhibit showcasing a rare -foot short-crested oarfish that was discovered last November near Grandview Beach in Leucadia The exhibition Oarfish Latest Discoveries from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Collection which runs through the end of summer blends the science and folklore surrounding these mysterious underwater creatures Visitors will have a chance to see these rare fish up close as part of the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps which houses one of the largest collections of deep-sea fish in the world Commonly known as the doomsday fish in Japanese folklore it was assumed that a sighting of an oarfish near the surface was an omen of approaching earthquakes or tsunamis Not only were they seen as harbingers of tragedy but their scaleless elongated bodies are also thought to have inspired the sea serpent legends Ben Frable senior collection manager of marine vertebrates at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography was instrumental in preserving the oarfish specimen and worked closely with the Birch Aquarium exhibits crew to create the displays By exposing the citizens to these deep-sea creatures he hopes people will come to see them as real living animals that we share this planet with not just something detected in videos or pictures Oarfish are rarely encountered here in California making it remarkable that we recovered studied and preserved two of them last year Frable announced Each new specimen deepens our understanding of this enigmatic fish With their long silver bodies and striking red fins emerging from the vast ocean oarfish have long fueled human imagination I hope that seeing these specimens in person fosters a deeper appreciation for them not as mythical creatures but as remarkable living beings that share our world The oarfish display is featured alongside the King-of-the-Salmon ribbonfish a specimen recovered from Mission Beach in which also explores similar ties to folklore and natural disasters Access to the oarfish exhibit is included with general admission to the Birch Aquarium and visitors are encouraged to make reservations in advance To make a reservation online visit the official website here The oarfish recovered near Grandview Beach in Leucadia in Nov now on display at the Birch Aquarium Photo Courtesy of the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego