Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Giant squid stranded on a beach in Santa Maria, Chile (US Fish – LV)
Thousands of giant cuttlefish or squid (Dosidicus gigas) have died in recent days on the coast of the island of Santa Maria, located off the coast of the province of Arauco (Chile). Experts have not yet been able to determine the causes of the incident and not its relation to El Niño is discarded.
The bodies of some 10,000 of these large cephalopods have invaded one of the beaches of this small island causing a health alert in addition to the concern of the population and the experts for the causes of the incident.
Technicians from the National Service for Fisheries and Aquaculture Chile (Sernapesca) has collected samples of the dead and water for analysis in specialized centers are crying.
Without ruling out the possibility of a pollution event, experts point out that the mass death of squid may have been caused by the high temperature of the seawater. On arrival at the coast of Santa Maria de molluscs and dead fish at this time of year (summer in the southern hemisphere) it is relatively common but so far there had not been an episode starring the dimensions of this week by the giant squid.
In the absence of more specific data it can not be ruled out that the high temperature of the sea water in this area of the Pacific is related to El Niño, which this time (2015-2016) lived a particularly strong and long period.
Courtesy of lavanguardia.com
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.