Thousands of dead fish washed ashore on the beach of Cox's Bazar on Saturday.
From Saturday afternoon until midnight, small fish were seen floating on the waves at Kalatali Point.
According to the local people, the fish may have died in nets of fishing boats, and then washed ashore by tidal waves after getting loose from those nets.
However, some are worried that the fish are dying due to pollution in the sea caused by waste dumped from ships.
MA Manzur, councillor of Ward 12 of Cox's Bazar municipality, said, “Only fish and fish fry are usually found between the Sugandha point of Cox's Bazar beach and Kalatali Darianagar.
“But this time, the large amount of dead fish that washed in with the waves since Saturday afternoon belongs to multiple species, and this is a matter of concern.”
Cox's Bazar Fisheries Research Institute Chief Scientific Officer Shafiq Rahman said, “A team has been sent to the Kalatali point after authorities heard about the phenomenon.
“We have collected dead fish and water samples from the spot. Initially, no level of contamination has been found in the seawater samples. We are investigating the matter further to learn whether these fish died due to bacterial infection or because of waste dumped elsewhere.”
Shafiq said the fishermen are claiming that the fish might have died in fishing nets, and this claim is being verified.
Cox's Bazar Tourist Police SP Zillur Rahman also said a few tonnes of fish washed ashore at Kalatali Point on the beach. The fish that floated in the tidal waves were collected by the local residents.
