10,000 jumbo squid washed up dead in Chile (no, it's not Fukushima)
10,000 jumbo squid washed up dead in Chile (no, it's not Fukushima)
By Sarah Keartes February 11 2016
Known for its rocky cliffs and untouched beaches, Chile's Isla de Santa Maria is is a sparsely populated spot. But last month, the island's coastline was suddenly littered with the crimson carcasses of over 10,000 dead Humboldt squid.
Scientists in the area are still working to trace the cause of this mass stranding, but one thing we do know is this is not the result of Fukushima radiation.
The large cephalopods (Dosidicus gigas), sometimes called “jumbo squid” or “red devils”, have been documented stranding like this since 2002, nearly a decade before the Fukushima disaster occurred. As in the case of starfish wasting syndrome and many other wildlife anomalies that sent the internet into radiation-related panic spirals, we can cast the Fukushima hypothesis aside.
Instead, a likely explanation is that the squid encountered an offshore warm-water blob that commonly forms in the area during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer months – and recent El Niño weather patterns mean it will be sticking around longer than usual.
More:
http://www.earthtouchnews.com/oceans/deep-ocean/10000-jumbo-squid-washed-up-dead-in-chile-no-its-not-fukushima
Environment & Energy:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/112796825
