MUSCAT, APRIL 2 - The huge fish kill found on the Qurayat shores on Monday is something that needs attention, but not a matter of concern, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. Some fish species had washed ashore dead, pressing panic button among the residents of Qurayat. People alerted the Royal Oman Police (ROP) and other authorities concerned and exercised caution against consuming fish. “Fish kill is a common phenomenon found across the globe from time to time, but people need to exercise caution against consuming such fish for the reason behind such a mass fish kill has not yet been found,” Dr Lubna al Kharusi, Director General of Fish Research department at the ministry, told the Observer.
The fish varieties found dead included sardine, tuna, grouper, sailfish and kingfish, among others. “I was taken aback seeing huge quantities of fish on the shores on Monday morning when I was about to go fishing”, Abdullah al Bahriya, a local fisherman said, adding that he couldn’t venture into the sea for he was afraid that the day’s catch would have some dead fish as well. Later, a team from the Muscat Municipality arrived at the scene and cleared the dead fish. Although the reason behind such a massive fish die-off is yet to be ascertained, there can be many reasons or just one reason killing these sea creatures, according to Dr Al Kharusi.
“The most common cause is reduced amount of oxygen in the water. This is because of some factors such as drought, algae bloom, overpopulation, or a sustained increase in water temperature. Cases like infectious diseases and parasites can also lead to fish kill,” Dr Al Kharusi added. Yet another reason, according to her, behind such sudden death is shock. Also, a swift fluctuation in the temperature around the water or any such conditions that can affect the sensitivity of the fish species.
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