Hundreds of dead sharks and fish, believed to be part of a discarded catch, have washed ashore on two Welsh beaches. Walkers found a full net of spiny dogfish, also known as catsharks, at Cefn Sidan in Carmarthenshire on Saturday. Just a few days earlier, hundreds of dead sharks and fish had already been discovered at Saundersfoot Beach in neighboring Pembrokeshire.
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More InformationPossible Causes of the Mass Stranding
Cliff Benson, a local conservationist and founder of the marine wildlife charity Sea Trust Wales, told the Western Telegraph that smaller-scale incidents are not uncommon in the region. However, the current event differs significantly in its magnitude. Benson offered a theory: “This event is of a different scale and it looks like they’ve been caught by a fishing boat hoping for more commercial species and have been discarded overboard dead.”
Another possible explanation is “ghost nets” – abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing nets that continue to trap and kill marine life. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) describes them as a significant threat to the marine ecosystem. It is estimated that a single abandoned net kills an average of 500,000 marine invertebrates, 1,700 fish, and four seabirds. The Ocean Conservancy calls such nets the most harmful form of marine debris. Annually, up to 1 million tons of ghost nets are believed to enter the oceans, further increasing shark mortality worldwide.
The recent finds are not isolated incidents along the Welsh coasts. In 2023, dozens of spiny dogfish were found at Prestatyn Beach, and in 2021, hundreds more at Cold Knap Beach in Barry, some still with hooks and fishing gear. As early as 2019, dozens of spiny dogfish were stranded in Burry Port. A fisheries scientist at the time suggested that this find was likely the result of bottom trawling.