Squid fishermen in Tokushima Prefecture hauled in a bumper catch just before the massive March 11 earthquake, just as they did right before the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, leading to suggestions the phenomenons could be connected.
The prefecture’s fisheries research institute explained that last year’s summer heat wave would be a more likely factor instead of “earthquake prediction”.
Animals’ unusual behaviour is often linked with natural disaster since old times; Chinese in particular are strong believers in this matter for thousand of years.
Scientific wise it’s not a universal approved idea, and there’s very little research that could support the connection besides the basic fact that many animals are more sensitive to change-of-environment than human being in many ways.