On the morning of October 18, the fishing port of Gowa in Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, was in a terrible situation.
(Fishing port in Amakusa City)
From a distance, a large white object floats on the surface of the sea.
This white object is not garbage, but a large number of dead sardines.
These sardines are about 10 centimeters long, densely packed with water surfaces, and smell foul.
Nearby residents woke up early in the morning to find that a large number of dead fish almost covered the sea surface around the fishing port.
There was a strong fishy smell in the air, and many residents were afraid to open their windows.
"It's the first time I've seen this. Very scary. It just stinks. We inquired and it is said that some dead fish appeared 4~5 days ago. ”
(Residents said the stench was bad near the site)
Not only young people, but even local bosses have never seen it.
"The situation has become serious from about a week ago. I've lived here for 76 years and it's the first time I've encountered this. ”
(The local uncle called it rare)
In addition to Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture,
About 10 kilometers away, the fishing port of Kazusa, Minamijimabara City, Nagasaki Prefecture, also saw a large number of sardines die a few days ago.
(There are also a large number of dead fish in Nagasaki Prefecture)
Preliminary investigations have found that the mass killings of sardines were concentrated in the waters between Nagasaki and Kumamoto.
The oxygen content of the surrounding seawater is extremely low, only about half of usual, which may be one of the causes of the collective death of sardines.
But the reasons for the large number of sardines entering the fishing port remain unclear.
(Removal of dead fish on site)
The person in charge of the Kumamoto Prefectural Fisheries Research Center pointed out that
Due to the rapid changes in the current direction of the local sea, it is difficult to find the exact location of the death of sardines,
Coupled with the fact that dead fish have begun to decay badly, it is difficult to pinpoint the cause of their large number of deaths.
However, from the current situation, the probability of death from collective infection of sardines is low.
If the infection dies, then the fish outside the fishing port will also die.
Sardines generally move in groups.
One possibility is that schools of sardines are chased by big fish and enter the fishing port in large numbers, and there are differences in water temperature and salinity, and eventually they die of lack of oxygen.
Kono, director of the nearby aquarium, said: "The Kumamoto Amakusa area belongs to the terrain of the inner bay, and the local seawater circulation may not be very good, and when a large number of fish pour in, it may cause hypoxia. ”
(Screenshot of Japanese media report)
At around 10 a.m. on October 18, more than 70 staff from Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture, arrived at the scene and began removing dead fish with nets.
Later, it may be found that there are too many dead fish, relying on manpower too slowly, and put into the crane to the site to operate.
(Removal of dead fish on site)
As of October 19, the total weight of dead fish removed at the site had exceeded 90 tonnes in just two days.
All dead fish may be more than 100 tons.
(Removal of dead fish on site)
Miya, Minister of Economy of the Amakusa City Government, said this week,
These sardines are supposed to sink into the water after dying and only to surface later.
"I kept fishing, and dead fish kept coming out from under the surface."
"I can only pray that the dead fish will not increase again, in short, we will try our best to clear all the fish that have surfaced now."
(Minister of Economy of Amakusa City Government Miyayuki)
The cause of the death of a large number of sardines is unclear.
Amakusa City decided to freeze and preserve the recycled dead fish for the time being, and may process the dead fish into fertilizer in the future.
(Amakusa City considers processing dead fish into fertilizer)
Akiharu Maba, Mayor of Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture, said:
"I hope to get rid of dead fish as soon as possible and let citizens return to normal life."
We will also seriously consider addressing the livelihoods of fishermen. ”
(Shoji Maba, Mayor of Amakusa City)
In this incident, Japanese netizens have commented:
"There were large-scale abnormal deaths of sardines in Nagasaki and Kumamoto. The reason is unknown. Does this signal significant changes in the natural environment? ”
"It's polluted water."
"It's a harbinger of a big earthquake."
"I hope to investigate well."
"If there is sardines from Kumamoto for sale in supermarkets, people in other areas should be careful."