Hundreds of dead sharks and fish have washed up on two beaches in Wales, believed to be a discarded catch from a fishing boat. Dog walkers discovered a full net of dogfish, also known as catsharks, on Carmarthenshire's Cefn Sidan beach on Saturday. Days earlier, hundreds of dead sharks and fish were found on Saundersfoot beach in neighbouring Pembrokeshire.
Cliff Benson, a local conservationist and founder of Sea Trust Wales, said smaller-scale incidents were not uncommon. However, he noted that this event was on a different scale and suggested the fish may have been caught by a fishing boat hoping for more commercial species and thrown overboard dead. He also mentioned the possibility of marine pollution, but noted that would likely affect multiple species, not just dogfish.
Abandoned fishing nets, known as 'ghost nets', are a significant threat to marine life. The World Wildlife Fund estimates a single abandoned net kills an average of 500,000 marine invertebrates, 1,700 fish and four seabirds. The Ocean Conservancy calls them the most harmful form of marine debris, with up to 1 million tonnes entering the oceans annually.
These recent finds follow similar incidents in Wales: dozens of dogfish on Prestatyn beach in 2023, hundreds on Cold Knap beach in Barry in 2021, and dozens at Burry Port in 2019. A fisheries scientist previously attributed such events to bottom trawling.
