Thousands of dead octopuses wash up on Portugal beach

Thousands of dead octopuses have washed up on a beach in northern Portugal, in what is being called an environmental disaster.

They cover a 5-mile stretch of Vila Nova de Gaia beach - no reason has yet been found for their appearance.

news.bbc.co.uk...


Whats with all the sea creatures being washed up on beaches lately? Have they forgot which way they are meant to be going?
Or is something else at work..

If you think the USA and the UK have problems with Oceanic Pollution, then try to imagine what other countries laws and regulations are like.

Good post.

Could be a "virus" or something but it could also be that humanity is polluting our planet, including our oceans BIG TIME.

We as a species have got to get ourselves under control. We are systematically ruining our beautiful lush planet.

It is sad to see the video of these poor "beings" that have met an untimely end.

Maybe they have "viruses, fugus or bacterial infections" just like us?

Maybe this was caused by our polluting the oceans, who knows?

Hopefully scientists will research into what killed them and prevent this devastation in the future.

Good post!

[edit on 3-1-2010 by ofhumandescent]

I'm from Portugal.
We had been several strong storms during the last days.
Two days ago there was pollution that came to the same beach.

So, the most likely explanation:

animals all over the world dead on coasts = mostly likely human pollution

[edit on 3-1-2010 by segurelha]

Hi

Maby the change in the earths magnetic field, does also effect octopusses.

Could be the reason the annimals were to close to the shore for comfort.
Along with a storm and polution. They were doomed.

This is devastating. Have there been any reports of deep sea dynamiting nearby?

Ok I know I'm just a dumbass,

but if I wonder how creatures of the sea and deep sea orientate I guess it would be by geomagnetism. In the deep sea is little light and no orientation points.. And spremwhales have to dive deep to hunt squid.

So I have to agree with Sinter Klaas

Gosh, something must be going on.

December 9, 2009 - Holkham Beach in Norfolk
10,000 Starfish turn up dead

Story and Photos


December 27, 2009 - New Zealand
125 Pilot whales beach themselves:
Story





[edit on 3-1-2010 by Julie Washington]

I'd like to remind everyone that whale beachings are common and that invertebrate biology is very different from vertebrate biology. Therefore, these are likely unrelated. And I think the gap in time between the sea stars washing up and the octopi is too big for those two to be related.

Storms, pollution, a combination of the two? Something else?

It's likely. Mollusks like octopi and squid do not have very strong defenses against their environmental conditions, unlike their relatives who sport external shells.

After the first quick analysis, it does not look like pollution was behind the death of all the octopuses (although some maritime police agents said to a newspaper that they thought they were killed by heavy metals poisoning).

They are waiting for the final analysis made by the National Laboratory of Veterinary Medicine.

Originally posted by InertiaZero
If you think the USA and the UK have problems with Oceanic Pollution, then try to imagine what other countries laws and regulations are like.

Here in the third world we also have laws and regulations about pollution.

Thanks for posting OP. I liken these events to holding on to jig-saw pieces then waiting for the box lid with the big picture to appear. It always does.

Respects

reply to post by captiva


I think you are correct.

Sea lions disappear in CA also in CA they have a massive amount of fin whales that are now in the area. It seems all over the world there has been stories like these lately.

My thought is that the climate change is effecting the life in the water more then above with changes in the worlds ocean currents and just the wildlife in generals food supply. This is caused by the massive amounts of ice that have been breaking apart or melting in the North and South and the increase in storms.


Who knows though

I also wouldn't be surprised if we have some huge quakes.

[edit on 3-1-2010 by whoshotJR]

This is why we should stop with chasing a natural phenomena such as "climate change" and focus on real disasters, such as these.

Regulation is one of the reasons the USA and UK have these problems. Regulations increase the cost of disposing things properly, whilst corrupt companies that are the lowest bidder get the contracts to take it away.

What exactly IS the proper term for more than one octopus?

Octopusses?
Octopussies?
Octopi?
Octopid?
Those many, unfortunate dead creatures?

Seriously....

Originally posted by whoshotJR
reply to post by captiva

 

Sea lions disappear in CA also in CA they have a massive amount of fin whales that are now in the area. It seems all over the world there has been stories like these lately.


[edit on 3-1-2010 by whoshotJR]

I am guessing that for the whales and sea lions there is a new food source off the coast and they are chowing down.

the picture with all the starfish is just ugly;

i think maybe the high pitched noise i hear sometimes is effecting the life i dont think about under water. maybe new forms of life are pushing them away to the surface in fear, or maybe human thoughts are pushing them away from their habitat in fear.humans have their own generational problems and intermingling with water animals just brings some of those problems on them; but to say pollution is the cause is a cop out for something that is probably scary for humans to ponder the cause.

Maybe it was an attempted Evolution.
Were any of them wearing shoes?

reply to post by Haydn_17


Earthquakes. Coming or about to come. Most likely something in the mid atlantic ridge.

eidt to add: There is also the issue of acidic ocean water taking place, in CA they are seeing giant humbodlt squid, what should be a rare occurance and instead they are there by the hundreds, acidic waters are driving them there for food and living. Please see the following article:

seattletimes.nwsource.com...

And then for the magnetic theories there is the fact that we are passing through an intersteller magnetic cloud right now:

science.nasa.gov...

[edit on 4-1-2010 by space cadet]

hello there,,

as my fellow Portuguese posters have stated already.....we have had weeks of severe storms....there have been a lot of things been washed up along that particular bit of coast line.

snoopyuk