Mysterious mass fish deaths in Philippines spark natural disaster fears

Large schools of fish were found washed up on a beach in the Philippines, which excited some local inhabitants who saw it as a gift from God. However, others were concerned that the occurrence might be a signal of impending natural disaster.

Diane Lawa Tagum, a Facebook user, posted a video of the incident early in the morning yesterday, January 7. The video shows residents of the town of Masiim in Sarangani province on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines discovering a school of fish swimming ashore and dying on the beach.

Some locals told reporters that the fish caught weighed several tonnes. While some were thrilled and believed these fish might be a new year’s gift from God, others were anxious that it might be a sign or omen of a natural disaster.

Previously, around the beginning of December, local authorities of Hakodate city in Hokkaido, the northernmost part of Japan, had discovered tens of thousands of sardines and mackerels swimming towards one of the city beaches, dying throughout almost 1 kilometre along the coastline, reported Sanook. Some people collected these fish either for personal consumption or for selling. However, authorities warned the public against consuming these fish.

Only a month later, on January 1, a severe earthquake of 7.6 magnitude hit Ishikawa Prefecture on the Noto Peninsula in central Japan. Until now, there is no clear scientific explanation for whether the mass fish death on Hokkaido island and the earthquake in central Japan are related.

Japanese disaster analysts suggested that the mass fish death could be due to the fish trying to escape larger predators, resulting in a sudden lack of oxygen, or the fish were migrating but encountered sudden cold currents.

Additionally, such a mass stranding and death of fish can affect the oxygen system of the water in that area, as well as the surrounding environment. Therefore, humans should not consume fish that die due to such incidents.

In related news, a rare deep-sea creature, the Oarfish, was discovered near Adang Island, Thailand. Its sighting is debunked as a tsunami predictor.