A ‘doomsday fish’ said to only surface when disaster is near was caught by a fisherman soon before the deadly earthquake that shook Taiwan earlier this week.

Oarfish typically live at depths of up to 3,300 feet, but Japanese legend says they appear in shallow waters when a seismic event is imminent.

Now it has emerged that the fish was caught in the Philippines shortly before neighbouring Taiwan faced its biggest quake in 25 years.

It was found near Kalanggaman Island, roughly 900 miles south of the epicentre, some 30 hours before the…