ROUGH TURBID WATERS CAUSE LARGE SHOALS OF SARDINES TO BEACH IN LAHAD DATU, SABAH [VIDEO]

Rough, Turbid Waters Linked To Fish Beaching In Sabah

Villagers picking up ikan tamban near Pantai Kampung Tambisan Darat, Lahad Datu, on Tuesday. /NSTKOTA KINABALU: Oceanographic conditions are believed to have caused large shoals of sardines to wash up on Tambisan shore near Lahad Datu, said Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s (UMS) Borneo Marine Research Institute.

Its director, Professor Dr Saleem Mustafa, said sardines, or “ikan tamban” were shoal and pelagic fish that were sensitive to changes to sea temperature, currents and wind-induced turbulence on the ocean’s surface.

“It is not unusual for sardines to be so close to shore. They do migrate to waters near the shore because of environmental and biological factors.

Large shoals of ikan tamban mysteriously turned up along the Tambisan shore /Google Images

“Their migration route is influenced by many factors. They avoid regions where the temperature is high and where swells take place and the water is turbid. They prefer calm currents.”

Saleem said sardines travel in large numbers and the shoal could be several hundred metres wide and several metres deep.
He said when shoals of fish stay together and the density was high in a narrow shelf area, jumping onto shore was expected and this could be the case in Tambisan.

On Christmas Eve morning, large shoals of ikan tamban mysteriously turned up along the Tambisan shore and caught the attention of many. However, this was not the first time.

 A short video and several photographs of the phenomenon were widely circulated on social media,  attracting many comments and speculation.

In the video, villagers were seen rushing to scoop bucket-loads of the fish or just loitering to see what was happening near the seaside settlement of Kampung Tambisan Darat.

Some of the fish were still alive, but most were already dead from poisoning due to the dynamic changes /Google Images

While the sardines looked safe to consume,   Saleem said detailed examination of the fish needed to be carried out,
There have been no reports of illness from those who have consumed the fish.

Meanwhile, Professor Dr Mazlan Abd Ghaffar from  the School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia,  said pelagic fish lived   between   6m and 12m below the  surface.

Tamban, cod, tuna, and mackerel are  examples of   pelagic fish.

 Mazlan said  other causes of fish beaching themselves could be  changes in the  food chain or seeking to escape predators.
"From my observation of the  footage in Lahad Datu, some of the fish were still alive,  but most  were already dead  from poisoning due to the dynamic changes."

-NST
http://www.nst.com.my/top-news/rough-turbid-waters-linked-to-fish-beaching-in-sabah-1.446693