Death on a grand scale: Hundreds of dead fish wash up on UK beach
It is not what you would expect to see during a stroll along the beach.
Walkers at a beach in Cornwall were surprised by the sight of thousands of dead mackerel and herring washed up on the shore on Sunday morning.
It is not known what caused the bizarre sight that appeared overnight and greeted people visiting Pentewan Beach that morning.
Edward Bol was walking his dog Max when he saw the fish, which he said were mostly herring with a few mackerel.
Writing online, he said: "Pentewan Beach, covered in dead fish… Why? #cornwall #beach #fish".
After they appeared, the fish provided a handy feast for local seagulls, leaving the beach covered in carcasses.
It is not the first time unusual scenes like this have been seen on Cornwall’s beaches.
Earlier this year hundreds of jellyfish were stranded on Perranporth beach and in 2014, hundreds of tiny, dead whitebait were found washed up at nearby Mullion Harbour on the Lizard in southern Cornwall.
At that time the same phenomenon had been reported all along the south coast, with the fish being driven onshore after being chased by predators.
Bob Felce, who has written a book on the history of the cove, said in 2014 that it was an extremely rare sight.
“It is a rare occurrence. One fisherman who has lived here for over 60 years says he can only remember this happening on two or three previous occasions,” he said.
A similar incident happened in Norway in 2012 when tens of thousands of herring were found up on Kvaenes beach.
Experts have suggested that they could have been killed in a storm and washed ashore.
Another theory was that fresh water from a nearby river caused their death.
News break – December 5
