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Dead fish wash up on Mazarron beach
The sandy shore of the Murcia beach was suddenly inundated with dozens of dead fish yesterday
Beachgoers visiting the Playa del Rihuete in Mazarrón yesterday, Tuesday September 12, were alarmed by the sight of dozens of fish washing up on the shore.The incident occurred during the day while bathers were still swimming in the water, and according to one eyewitness it “smelled awful”, with “about 90% of shoreline affected”.
Sources stated that the fish ranged in size from 20mm to 200mm, which suggests that it was not a case fishing boat dumping fish offshore.Another possible explanation is that it is linked to the heavy rainstorms experienced by some parts of the Costa Cálida yesterday.
A town hall official arrived in an official vehicle and arranged for a cleanup team to pick up the fish.
At no point were people informed that it could be dangerous to be there, leaving onlookers uneasy: “I am concerned the beach wasn’t closed and everybody, including children, carried on swimming.”
Similar episodes of dead fish washing up on the shore have happened in the Mar Menor in the past due to high nitrate and low oxygen levels in the protected lagoon’s enclosed ecosystem.
Mazarrón’s beaches, however, face onto the open waters of the Mediterranean Sea, and so there must be another explanation.
In Los Nietos recently, illegal poachers were recorded dumping eels and fish into the water at night, which could be another possible source of the Mazarrón mystery.
Images: Ceded
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