Thousands of dead fish washed ashore on Oman’s coast

Muscat: Thousands of dead fish have been found ashore in several areas of Oman on Wednesday.

An official from the Environment Authority of Oman (EA), confirmed the development in the Governorate of South Al Sharqiyah.

“The Environment Department in the South Al Sharqiyah have spotted thousands of dead fish on Ras Al Hadd beach, and have carried out a cleaning campaign at the venue,” said the official. He also said that marine specialists have studied the cause of death of these fishes at the Ras Al Hadd beach, and it was found that they have died due to natural causes.

Sightings of dead fishes on the beaches were also reported from Bandar Al Khairan in Muscat Governorate.

Earlier, the officials blamed it on the "Red Tide" phenomenon.

Red Tide, a natural phenomenon in all coastal areas in the region, is caused by an increase in seaweed, which forms a layer on the sea's surface, preventing sunlight from penetrating into the bottom of the sea and resulting in a lack of air.

The ministry has collected samples from the affected areas, and experts are studying the reasons to find out the exact cause of the mass death of fishes.