Oarfish
© Rizza Castillo
A 10.5-feet oarfish was spotted along the coast New Washington in Aklan, Monday morning.

According to Rizza Castillo, one of the owners of a fishing vessel, a fisherman spotted the oarfish while they were waiting for their lantsa (vessel) onshore.

"First time may makaraya iya nagdagsa sa New Washington." (This is the first time an oarfish appeared off the coast of Washington)," she said.

Residents tried to return the fish to the shore, but it was already weak and it shortly died.

Castillo said she immediately contacted her sister-in-law, a student of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, to endorse the incident to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

"Wala naman pong traces ng sugat o basura [sa kanya]." (There were no traces of wound nor garbage ingestion)

Some people claim that oarfish washing ashore predicts an incoming earthquake, however, it has been figured to be a folklore.

According to Japan Times, scientists don't currently use fish behavior to predict tremors.