Fishermen have been mystified by the phenomenon
Huge numbers
of dead fish have been washed up on the coast of Oman for the
second time in a week. Omani TV showed fish strewn along the coast
in Barka province, on the Gulf of Oman, 50 miles (80km) north-west
of the capital Muscat.
Large quantities
of the fish littered beaches along the neighbouring governorate
of Muscat last week.
 Fish
are apparently dying of natural causes
An official
from the Omani Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry told the TV
station that the fish had died of natural causes and there had
been no environmental disaster in Oman's waters.
Cold currents
entered the Gulf of Oman from the Arabian Sea bringing organisms
called phytoplankton, Assistant Director-General for Fisheries
and Guidance Eng Saud Bin-Humud al-Haysi said.
These organisms
and plants attached to them used up large amounts of the oxygen
which sea-bed fish need to survive.
Unlike surface
fish, sea-bed fish are not able to move fast to find areas free
of phytoplankton.
No cause
for concern
Local fishermen
said they had never seen anything quite like it.
"It might
last for a day or two with small quantities, but not like this,"
one said.
"The
fish have never been stranded like this."
The fishermen
fear that if this carries on their livelihoods will be threatened,
but Mr al-Haysi believes there is no great cause for concern.
Sea-bed fish cannot move fast enough to find oxygen
"We have
examined quantities today," he said.
"If the
phenomenon continues, then it may have a medium-term effect.
"But
we do not expect the quantities we examined today to affect the
fishermen noticeably..."
Oman, which
boasts 1,050 miles (1,700 km) of coastline, has a flourishing
fishing industry exporting throughout the Arabian peninsula as
well as to the European Union.
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