A giant white patch floats in the Bay of Biscay, in the Atlantic Ocean, off the west coast of France. It is a "carpet" of dead fish that extends for about 3 thousand square meters, over 100 thousand carcasses of blue whiting, a subspecies of cod.
The fish had been caught by the Dutch maxi fishing boat FV Margiris, the second largest in the world, and then, on Thursday, they ended up back in the sea due to the breaking of one of the boat's nets.
The discovery was made by the NGO Sea Shepherd, which first published the images of the carcasses, and the explanation came from the Pelagic Freezer-Trawler Association (PFA), the industry association representing the ship's owner. The PFA said it was a "very rare event".
The French Minister of the Sea, Annick Girardin, has already asked for an administrative investigation.
(Unioneonline / ss)
