Thousands of dead starfish washed ashore in Pembrokeshire after stormy weather

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The stormy weather that has followed the abnormally high New Year’s temperatures in Wales, has affected local sea life including the starfish with thousands pf dead ones being washed ashore. This sort of event where sea life is stranded is according to experts fairly commonplace on the west coast and is down to the unsettled weather.
Numerous photographs have begun appearing on social media showing the carnage with the creatures filling rock pools and lining sandy beaches.
Giles Davies an amateur photographer spoke to the BBC saying: “I have never seen something like this before. It’s really sad to just see that in nature, because you’re looking at deaths in the thousands of one species.”
Adam Cooper, Senior Marine Adviser at Natural Resources Wales, said: “We do get strandings like this reported around the coast of Wales when there’s stormy weather, especially when that coincides with big tides – and we’ve had both of those in the last few days.”
Chris Taylor, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority ranger said: “These starfish breed when there’s lots of feed about so they’re feeding on clams and mussels. Sadly what’s happened here, I think, is that we’ve had a low tide, lots of stormy weather and that has brought a lot of these starfish ashore and sadly these starfish will die.
“But there will be lots that survive, and they will be the next starfish that go on and breed, and will be hardier and better adapted to this environment.”
The sighting so many dead starfish that have washed ashore comes after the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for fast-moving thunderstorms and heavy rainfall in southern Wales and England, with a forecast of gusts of up to 50mph in some places.


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Written by

Peter McLaren-Kennedy

Originally from South Africa, Peter is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for the Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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