NTB Brida: Oarfish appearance a natural event, not a disaster omen

The NTB Regional Research and Innovation Agency (Brida) has stated that the appearance of an oarfish, known as the “doomsday fish”, found stranded on Pink Beach, East Lombok on Tuesday (25/8), is a natural phenomenon and not a sign of disaster.

“The stranding of oarfish in coastal areas is generally triggered by a decline in the physical condition of the fish itself,” said Head of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Brida I Gede Putu Aryadi in Mataram on Wednesday.

According to Aryadi, several biological factors underlie this phenomenon, including health and age.

“Fish that are suffering from illness, physical injuries such as broken bones, or have reached old age will lose their ability to swim optimally,” said Aryadi.

In addition, the next factor is the influence of currents. Fish in a weakened condition are no longer able to fight deep-sea currents, so they are slowly carried into shallow waters until they eventually become stranded on the beach.

Aryadi urged the public not to panic or link this phenomenon to doomsday myths or major natural disasters, such as the NTT earthquake.

“Scientific studies, including research from Japan, show that the majority of deep-sea fish stranding cases are purely biological events,” said Aryadi.

He explained that environmental factors such as low sea water temperatures, current direction, and wave conditions play an important role in determining whether a fish carcass will reach the shore or not. This event is similar to the whale stranding cases in Bima that often occur as ordinary natural dynamics.

Therefore, his agency urges the public to respond to this phenomenon rationally by referring to valid research and scientific publications rather than myths or superstitions.