Hundreds of dead sharks and fish believed to be part of a discarded catch have washed up on two Welsh beaches. Dog walkers discovered a full net of dogfish, also known as catsharks, on Carmarthenshire's Cefn Sidan beach last Saturday. A few days earlier, hundreds of dead sharks and fish had been found on Saundersfoot beach in neighbouring Pembrokeshire.
Conservationist Weighs In
Cliff Benson, a local conservationist and founder of the charity Sea Trust Wales, told the Western Telegraph that smaller-scale incidents are not uncommon in the area. "We quite often see dogfish or catsharks seemingly intent on suicide and beaching themselves, though nobody seems to know why," he said. "However, this is on a different scale and looks like they might have been caught by some fishing boat that was hoping to catch more commercial species and thrown overboard dead."
Possible Causes
Benson suggested another possibility could be marine pollution, but noted that would likely affect multiple species, not just dogfish. The World Wildlife Fund describes "ghost nets" as abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing nets that trap and kill marine life. A single abandoned net is estimated to kill an average of 500,000 marine invertebrates, 1,700 fish, and four seabirds. The Ocean Conservancy calls such nets the single most harmful form of marine debris. As much as 1 million tonnes of ghost gear is thought to enter the oceans each year.
Previous Incidents
Last week's finds are not the only dead sharks to have washed up on Welsh beaches recently. A few dozen dogfish were found on Prestatyn beach in 2023, and hundreds more on Cold Knap beach in Barry in 2021, some with hooks and tackle still attached. Dozens of dogfish washed up at Burry Port in 2019, with a fisheries scientist at the time attributing the find to bottom trawling.
