DOLPHINS are to blame for the hundreds of dead fish washed up in Spain’s Estepona, says the Junta.
The city’s La Rada beach became a fish graveyard on Tuesday, February 6.
Thousands of ‘immature dead fish’ appeared in the area, considered a Special Conservation Zone (ZEC) by the European Union.
It prompted calls from a local ecology group, Ecologistas Sierra Bermeja, to demand an explanation for the ‘mass death’.
Now, the Junta de Andalucia has issued a statement saying the incident was probably caused by dolphins.
They said that it was likely that the predators ‘disorientated’ the fish while hunting.
This led them to swim to shore, where they drowned, claims the Junta.
However, ecologists have questioned these findings on Facebook, saying: “They have acted quickly to calm the public and say nothing serious has happened.
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“There is not even one sad piece of analysis, report or relationship drawn. What kind of professionals are they?”
In their original post, the group speculated the fish were split ‘surplus from a fishing boat’ or caused by a nearby wind farm.
They also said the culprit could have been a ‘red wave’ or ‘contamination’.
However, they disputed claims that the fish had been killed by predators.
The collective has requested ‘an explanation into this mass death of fishes in one of Estepona’s busiest beaches’, claiming it could impact the towns ‘international image’ and its reputation as a protected space.
They have also urged authorities to take ‘responsibility’ and impose ‘relevant sanctions.’
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Last year, a similar incident occurred in the Guadalhorce river, Malaga.
The Junta estimated some 350 dead fish perished after becoming trapped in a basin.
Over a period of a few days, sediment build up deprived them of oxygen.
