Three giant ‘doomsday fish’ wash up in one week, but harbinger of calamity a damp squib, say experts

After one oarfish was found in Tasmania, two were discovered in New Zealand, but there is no evidence of link between sightings and natural disaster, say scientists

Bad luck comes in threes, according to the saying. And this week three ethereal oarfish, nicknamed “the doomsday fish”, have washed up on the shores of Australia and New Zealand.

Two headless specimens were found near Dunedin and Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island, following the discovery of an oarfish on Tasmania’s west coast on Monday.

But scientists say there is no evidence of any link between oarfish sightings and imminent natural disaster.

Earlier in the week, an oarfish was found near the small coastal settlement of Aramoana, north of Dunedin. Another, washed up on Thursday at a stony beach near Birdlings Flat, a 45-minute drive from Christchurch.