Posted on 09/29/2006 12:37:05 PM PDT by STARWISE
Millions of anchovies — a protected species in Europe — have died in northern Spain after an unexplained mass beaching, officials said Friday.
The fish, all juveniles, were found stranded along large stretches of Colunga beach, 35 miles east of the port city of Gijon, a normally pristine seaside landscape in the verdant province of Asturias.
"More than three tons have been found so far, and our main — untested — hypothesis at the moment is that they tried to flee from predators and accidentally beached," said Luis Laria, chief coordinator of a marine protection unit working with the government.
Laria said a European Union moratorium on fishing anchovies along the northern Atlantic coast of Spain and the western coast of France has been in place for two months. Less rigorous fishing restrictions had been used for the previous two years.
These anchovies are considered susceptible to extinction and are therefore closely monitored by scientists, according to Spain's Environment Ministry
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Mmmm, Pizza!
If you had chichen then chichen marsalla was called for. Pineapple???? Not in Sicily! Maybe some calamari but only in Hoboken at Sid's table!
They are just feeding the birds.
I am trying to imagine the sight of it--and it's disgusting.
Fish Jihad?
"Class dismissed!"
Thanks but I'll take a pass! :)
Anchovies on pizza is disgusting. Anchovies on a beach is revenge. ;)
What's that - couple pounds?
Mullet will do this when the blues and drum are running off the outerbanks. A buddy of mine watched it happen one night and suddenly the beach filled with racoons feasting on the fish.
Was Hillary swimming in the area?
Anchovies and mass beaching just strikes me as funny.
I heard the same thing on the radio ... about the anchovies beaching themselves. I am afraid I burst out laughing as I thought of millions of environmentalists on the beaches tending to the anchovies. Certainly a whale might beach itself ... but somehow I have a vision of millions of anchovies washing ashore.
This also works well with fresh sardines.
'La bonne cuisine est la base du véritable bonheur.' - Auguste Escoffier
(Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
Spaghetti what? And you are Eric where?
Non-Pinging? ;)
I have seen the same thing on the Texas coast but never that many. Most common for me is to find mullet or rain minnows packed together in a very shallow tidal pool right by the beach where they went to escape a predator and then got caught by a falling tide. I have just scooped them up with my cap.
Good question, I can't stand the lil critters, too salty for my taste. But as someone mentioned above, they sure to make a Caesar dressing!
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