Thousands of dead #fish found in a creek in #Mackay, #Australia
Thousands of dead fish have washed up on the banks of a tidal creek.
Courtesy of weeklytimesnow.com.au
Nearly 30,000 #pigs killed by #AfricanSwineFever in #Indonesia
Tens of thousands of pigs have died from African swine fever in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province, officials said Thursday, the first time the virus has been detected in the country.
The disease has devastated swine herds in China and elsewhere in Asia, and initially Indonesia authorities put the death of 27,000 pigs down to hog cholera — a different virus with similar symptoms.
But Fadjar Sumping Tjatur Rasa, an official at Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture, told AFP that laboratory tests had recorded evidence of African swine fever in 16 regencies and cities in North Sumatra.
“It had never (before) occurred in Indonesia,” he added.
While the virus cannot be transmitted to humans, it is almost 100 percent fatal in pigs.
Although Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim nation — and eating pork is forbidden by the Koran — the country also boasts a small Christian majority in North Sumatra, and Bali is a Hindu island whose signature dish is roast pig.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Agency said it was working with the government on containment, but the outbreak in Indonesia poses unique challenges.
Unlike China, where huge herds are reared and processed in factory-like conditions and outbreaks can be contained, in Indonesia most pigs are raised in backyard sties or on small farms, and sold at markets where the virus can easily spread.
Outbreaks of African swine fever have also been recorded in Myanmar, Laos, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and East Timor.
Courtesy of france24.com
Thousands of dead #fish, a ‘biblical style plague’, wash up on beach in #Andalucia, #Spain
THOUSANDS of dead fish have washed up on an Andalucian beach in an environmental catastrophe of biblical proportions.
Green group, Ecologists in Action, reported that a shoal of dead fish mixed with plastic and other rubbish had washed up on the beach in Granada.
Members of the environmental organisation believe the disaster, which has seen dead fish cover the entire length of El Penon de Salobrena beach, may have been caused by a toxic spill.
“It appears too extensive to be the discarded catch of a fishing boat,” said a spokesperson from the group.
“The fish have open mouths and spots along their bodies,” they added.
Courtesy of theolivepress.es
10 dead #dolphins found washed up on a beach in #Devon, #UK – Warning – graphic image
Warning – graphic images of dolphins washed up in South Devon
(Image: Dave Bailey)
The remains of ten dolphins have been washed up on one South Devon beach in recent weeks.
Eco campaigners believe it may be linked to a recent rise in numbers of the huge European factory ships fishing in the English Channel and they have welcomed intervention today by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) which now appears to be closely tracking the giant trawlers.
The dead dolphins have been washed up at Lannacombe Beach. The only visible wounds were from predators after death, suggesting the animals had starved of oxygen after being trapped in trawler nets.
The 260ft-long boats – 10 times the size of a standard British fishing vessel – are said to leave a wake of devastation in their path, with dead short-beaked common dolphins and porpoises washing up down wind, according to the campaigning Blue Planet Society.
Retired police detective Dave Bailey, who volunteers with Dartmouth Coastguard Search and Rescue, has photographed 10 dead common dolphins and porpoises in the last six weeks.
Dave said: “I’m still finding dead dolphins on the beaches, such a shame. One of these was a 6ft plus adult of breeding size. If it is down to the Huge Pelagic Trawlers working off the coast I hope a way can be found to stop the unnecessary slaughter.”
John Hourston, 53, a volunteer at the Blue Planet Society for the last 10 years, said: “This is a new problem and we need to get to grips with it soon otherwise it will be devastating. Over the last four months we have reported dozens of dead common dolphins. They are washing up daily.
“These are large mammals – if this kind of slaughter was happening on land to any other large mammal the public would not allow it.
Courtesy of devonlive.com
Hundreds of dead #ShellFish found washed up on a beach in #Yallingup, #Australia
Hundreds of abalone were found dead in the South West beach of Yallingup on December 2.
Courtesy of abc.net.au
Thousands of dead #fish found washed up off #Auckland coast, #NewZealand
Thousands of dead fish have been seen washing up on a Hauraki Gulf island.
Photos and video of what appear to be dead mackerel floating in the water and lining the shores of Kawau Island have been sent in to the Herald.
A reader told the Herald locals were cleaning up trailer loads of fish from the beaches.
A Department of Conservation spokesperson said he had spoken to two rangers about the dead fish.
“The word is it was a variety of fish and MPI are aware of it and investigating,” he said.
Courtesy of nzherald.co.nz
Masses of dead #fish wash up on beach in #California, #USA
The most frightening of the deep-sea horrors that lurk at the bottom of the ocean have nothing on the “penis fish.” Thousands of the pink, worm-like creatures were spotted washed ashore on Drakes Beach in California last week, according to Bay Nature.
Photographer David Ford was walking along the beach on Dec. 6 after a storm when he noticed a large flock of seagulls feasting on something in the sand, according to Marin Independent Journal.
The worms spanned for miles.
“I had no idea what they might be … it went on for two miles,” Ford told Vice. “I walked for another half hour and they were scattered everywhere. There were seagulls lined up the beach the whole way having eaten so much they could barely stand. A quarter of them looked like they were still alive. The rest were dead, they had a dead sea-creature smell.”
Courtesy of sacbee.com
Hundreds of #birds found dead, ‘a mystery’ on a road in #Anglesey, #Wales
Hundreds of birds have been found dead in a road in Anglesey.
The starlings were spotted on Tuesday by Hannah Stevens near Llyn Llywenan, north of the village of Bodedern.
She was on her way to see a doctor when she initially spotted a huge flock of birds in the sky.
About an hour later, on her way back, she saw them lying dead in the road.
She called her partner, Dafydd Edwards, to tell him what had happened.
He told Sky News that when she first saw the birds “they took off to the fields”.
“She thought, ‘Oh, that was a large number of birds’, and then on her way back she found them all dead in the road.
“She phoned me and she said she couldn’t believe what she had just seen.
“To be honest, I didn’t believe what she had just told me, really.”
Mr Edwards decided to go over and see for himself what had happened.
“It was very distressing,” he said.
“My gut instinct is that they have been poisoned, but we don’t know. It is hard to say really.
“I think there are hundreds of them.”
The couple have contacted the police and the Animal and Plant Health Agency who they say are looking into the incident.
RSPB Wales told Sky News: “We are concerned with what we have seen.
“Starlings are a red list species after all.
“We are keen to ensure the incident is investigated by the authorities, but for the time being it is important not to speculate on the cause.”
Courtesy of Sky News
27,000 #chickens to be killed due to #BirdFlu in #Suffolk, #UK
Cases of bird flu have been confirmed at a chicken farm in Suffolk, the government has said.
All 27,000 birds at the commercial farm will be culled after a number were found to have the H5 type of avian flu, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said on Tuesday.
The strain has been identified as “low pathogenic avian flu”. Public Health England (PHE) has said the risk to public health is very low and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said food safety is not at risk.
All the birds will now be humanely culled and a 1km restriction zone has been implemented to limit the risk of the disease spreading.
The chief veterinary officer, Prof Christine Middlemiss, said: “Bird keepers should remain alert for any signs of disease, report suspected disease immediately and ensure they are maintaining good biosecurity on their premises.
“We are urgently looking for any evidence of disease spread associated with this strain to control and eliminate it.”
The FSA said there would be no food safety risk to UK customers as long as poultry products, including eggs, were thoroughly cooked.
Dr Gavin Dabrera, public health consultant at PHE, said: “Avian flu – often called bird flu – is primarily a disease of birds and the risk to the general public’s health is very low. As a precaution, we are offering public health advice and antivirals to those who had contact with the affected birds, as is standard practice.”
A detailed investigation is under way to determine the most likely source of the outbreak.
It’s the first outbreak of the disease in the UK since January 2017, when thousands of birds in Lancashire and Lincolnshire were confirmed to have the H5N8 strain.
Courtesy of theguardian.com
12+ dead #dolphins wash up in #KingIsland, #Australia
More than a dozen dead dolphins were found washed up on a beach on the northern coast of King Island.
The bodies were reported to the Parks and Wildlife Service several weeks ago but came to public attention when photos were shared on social media by King Islander Anne Marie Sutor-Micic.
Mrs Sutor-Micic said she stumbled upon the carcasses last weekend while walking on the remote coastline between Disappointment Bay and Three Sisters.
“We went for a fish with my husband and our daughter and we saw these dead dolphins on the beach,” she said.
“It’s pretty sad how they were all dead.”
Mrs Sutor-Micic said she counted 15 dead dolphins and a dead seal around two kilometres further along the beach.
“But I’m not really sure. It could be more than 15 because some were already buried under the sand,” she said.
Courtesy of theadvocate.com.au
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