People throng Nileshwaram beach after witnessing special phenomenon

KASARAGOD: The Marakkappu beach near Nileshwaram witnessed a Sardine swarm between 6.30 am and 8 am this morning. People thronged to the beachside with buckets after hearing the news, and many had the luck to take away a good share of fish back to their homes.

A large group of sardines had washed ashore at the Payyambalam beach in Kannur yesterday. The group of sardines washed ashore at around 9 am yesterday.

Meanwhile, a new study by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has attributed the unexpected increase in sardines reaching the Kerala coast last year to changes in monsoon rainfall. The state had received a record four lakh tonnes of sardines in 2021. However, the sardine catch declined sharply to just 3,500 tonnes.

But last year, a large number of small sardines, averaging 10 centimetres in size, appeared on the Kerala coast. They washed ashore in large numbers in Kozhikode and Thrissur districts. Last year, favourable monsoon rains and the upwelling of nutrient-rich bottom water led to an increase in microplankton, the main food of sardine larvae. This increased the survival of the larvae and led to a large increase in the number of sardines.