Mystery: Thousands of tons of dead fish wash up on Japan's northern coast

[useapen]

Thousands of tons of dead fish were found on the northern coast of Japan
and no one seems to know why.

The sardines and mackerels were found on an over half-mile stretch of
beach in Hakodate, Hokkaido on the country's northern main island,
according to the Associated Press.

Some residents started collecting and selling the fish, prompting local
officials to post a warning advising against doing so.

Officials said Friday they didn't know the reason behind the die-off.

Takashi Fujioka, a Hakodate Fisheries Research Institute researcher, told
the Associated Press that there are multiple possibilities that could have
caused the die-off, including predatory avoidance or oceanic temperature
changes.

“We don’t know for sure under what circumstances these fish were washed
up, so I do not recommend” eating them, Fujioka said.

Translated via Google Translate: (From the photographer) "Toi's sardines
turned out to be amazing. I will upload the video to Doshin Digital later
(Fuji)."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2023/12/08/dead-fish-hakodate-
hokkaido-japan/71856139007/