Guest guest Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Anchovies' death: Echoes of incident in Penang - New Straits Times*04 Oct 2006* ALEXANDER ANANDA JOTHY, Malacca <letters ------------------------------ *THE millions of anchovies in Spain that died following " an unexplained mass beaching " along the beaches of Colunga, belong to the same family of fish as our local ikan bilis. * They are voracious planktonic feeders, hence they are pelagic. The report ( " Millions of anchovies in mystery death " , NST, Oct 1) puts forth possible causes for the mysterious death of the anchovies, such as fleeing from predators and high temperatures off the Colunga beach. Experts had ruled out toxins after examining samples of the fish. The report, however, mentions the " nutrient rich waters " off Colunga beach (in the Bay of Biscay). This, coupled with the high temperatures of the seawater may have led to the possibility of triggering a planktonic algal bloom at the surface and in mid-waters, resulting in a sudden huge deficit of dissolved oxygen in the seawater. A situation such as this will invariably drive all free-swimming marine life to safer areas. The anchovies, being in such large shoals, may have been disoriented in their escape route, thereby landing themselves on the beaches of Colunga to meet their fate. An incident similar to the above was reported in Penang years ago, when a red-tide phenomenon (also an algal bloom in the sea) drove a large number of fish onto the beaches of Telok Kumbar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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