Thousands of starfish have washed up dead along a beach at Gibraltar Point, Skegness on January 2, 2018 and on Portobello beach in Edinburgh on January 7, 2018. That’s two enormous mass-die-offs within 5 days… And officials blame strong winds! 🙂
The beach at Gibraltar Point was tinted orange after thousands of starfish washed up during strong winds. But depite the odd sight, experts at Skegness Aquarium and Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust say it is a fairly common occurrence.
According to scientists, it’s common to find starfish washed up after a storm as the waves are too strong for them to stay attached to rocks and the sea bed using their tube feet. Since they can’t swim against the currents they then get carried away and wash up onto beaches and shores.
Then, 5 days later, thousands of starfish have been found washed up on Portobello beach in Edinburgh on January 7, 2018. Some residents speculated that the marine invertebrates may have ended up on the beach as a result of Storm Eleanor.
In April, thousands of starfish were spotted washed up on a beach in the Highlands. In that case, marine experts said the invertebrates may have got caught up by strong winds or tides as they changed location. Beachgoers presumed they were dead because they prodded some of them with their feet and they didn’t respond.
Meanwhile in California, starfish populations are increasing again!
