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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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