Thousands of tons of dead fish including sardines and mackerel washed up on a beach in northern Japan, leaving officials stumped. According to Metro, the fish washed ashore in Hakodate on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning, covering a stretch of beach about half a mile long. After locals started collecting and selling the fish, officials posted a warning urging residents not to consume the fish.
Though the exact cause behind the mysterious incident is not known, experts have suggested some probable reasons. There has been speculation that the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant could be the reason.
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According to Japan Today, Takashi Fujioka, a Hakodate Fisheries Research Institute researcher, said he had heard of similar phenomena before, but it was his first time seeing it.
''One possible cause is that the school of fish was chased by a larger fish, became exhausted, and was washed up by the waves. Another possible cause is that the school of fish entered cold waters during their migration and were then washed ashore. But details are uncertain,'' Mr Fujioka suggested.
''We don't know for sure under what circumstances these fish were washed up, so I do not recommend eating them'', he added.
After the wash-up, officials were seen inspecting the site and trying to collect the fish.
In October, this year Japan released a second batch of wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, an exercise that angered China and others. On August 24, Japan began discharging into the Pacific some of the 1.34 million tonnes of wastewater that has been collected since 2011. The Fukushima power plant was wrecked after an earthquake and resultant tsunami in March 2011.
In the first phase around 7,800 tonnes of water were released into the Pacific out of a planned total of 1.34 million tonnes, equivalent to more than 500 Olympic swimming pools.
China banned all Japanese seafood imports after the first release, which ended on September 11, despite Tokyo's insistence that the operation poses no risk. China also accused Japan of using the ocean like a "sewer".
