Skip to main content
NTv Online

World

World
  • Africa
  • Americas
  • Asia Pacific
  • Europe
  • Mid East
  • More
  • Offbeat
  • South & Central Asia
  • Viral
  • Bangla Version
  • Archive
  • Bangladesh
  • World
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Business
  • Comment
  • Education
  • Life
  • Health
  • Art & Culture
  • Election
  • বাংলা
  • Bangladesh
  • World
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Business
  • Comment
  • Education
  • Life
  • Health
  • Art & Culture
  • Election
  • বাংলা
  • Bangla Version
  • Archive
Follow
  • World
NTV Online
02 March, 2019, 15:24
Update: 02 March, 2019, 15:24
More News
Watch: UK bomb disposal experts detonate WWII mine at sea
Thousands turn out to watch Pennsylvania building demolition
Camouflaged snow leopard image in Himachal Pradesh goes viral
Man and family tied to tree; beaten up for eloping with married woman
Adorable moment young girl rides on man's back during daily prayer

Video: Two rare ‘Oarfish’ caught in Japan

NTV Online
02 March, 2019, 15:24
Update: 02 March, 2019, 15:24
The fish, caught off Okinawa's southwest Toya port, both subsequently died. Photo: Collected

Two rare oarfish, giant deep-sea serpents long believed by locals to be a harbinger of earthquakes and tsunamis, have been caught off the Japanese island of Okinawa.

Fishermen were stunned to find a pair of the silvery fish -- the bigger one measuring four metres (13 feet) -- alive in their nets late last month as the number of sightings of the mysterious creature in Japanese waters continues to rise, reports the ndtv.com.

‘I had only ever heard stories about this fish,’ the Yomitan fisheries cooperative association's Takashi Yamauchi told AFP.

‘When I saw them at the port, I was quite shocked.’

The fish, caught off Okinawa's southwest Toya port on January 28, both subsequently died.

More than 12 elusive oarfish -- known in Japanese as ‘Ryugu no tsukai’ or the ‘Messenger from the Sea God's Palace’ -- have washed up on shores in Japan over the past year.

Oarfish live between 200 and 1,000 metres below the surface of the Pacific and the Indian Oceans and have serpentine bodies with red fins that give them a dragon-like appearance.

Japanese folklore has it that they move to shallower seas before underwater earthquakes, possibly due to electromagnetic changes that occur with tectonic activity.

Local media reported that a spate of sightings preceded the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that left about 18,500 dead or missing in northeast Japan, strengthening the myth.

The recent oarfish discoveries have sparked renewed debate on social media about impending doom, although scientists dispute such claims.

‘They looked mysterious and beautiful,’ Satomi Higa of the Yomitan's fisheries cooperative association told the Okinawa Times.

Although rarely caught in fishing nets, six oarfish were recently captured or found beached in Toyama on the western shores of central Japan.

The pair netted off Okinawa died enroute to an aquarium before fishermen ate part of a fin as sashimi -- although fisheries officials noted only a portion that had ripped off while loading one of the creatures onto the boat had been sampled.

Most Read
  1. WHO site shows how they refuse to acknowledge scientific evidence on vaping
  2. Tholos Foundation urges Bangladesh govt not to ban e-cigarettes
  3. India bans service charge at hotels and restaurants
  4. Bangladesh and Australia working towards key trade partners
  5. Bigger and better Mother Language Day Walk
  6. Islamic State loses second leader in two years
Most Read
  1. WHO site shows how they refuse to acknowledge scientific evidence on vaping
  2. Tholos Foundation urges Bangladesh govt not to ban e-cigarettes
  3. India bans service charge at hotels and restaurants
  4. Bangladesh and Australia working towards key trade partners
  5. Bigger and better Mother Language Day Walk
  6. Islamic State loses second leader in two years

Follow Us

Alhaj Mohammad Mosaddak Ali

Chairman & Managing Director

NTV Online, BSEC Building (Level-8), 102 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215 Telephone: +880255012281 up to 5, Fax: +880255012286 up to 7

Browse by Category

  • About NTV
  • NTV Programmes
  • Advertisement
  • Web Mail
  • NTV FTV
  • Satellite Downlink
  • Europe Subscription
  • USA Subscription
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact

Our Newsletter

To stay on top of the ever-changing world of business, subscribe now to our newsletters.

* We hate spam as much as you do

Alhaj Mohammad Mosaddak Ali

Chairman & Managing Director

NTV Online, BSEC Building (Level-8), 102 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215 Telephone: +880255012281 up to 5, Fax: +880255012286 up to 7

Reproduction of any content, news or article published on this website is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved