Mass death of giant squids washed off the shore causes health issue

Thousands of giant squid or cuttlefish have died last January off the coast of the island of Santa Maria, Arauco, Chile. According to experts, the cause of the incident may have been due to a phenomena called 'upwelling' wherein dense, cooler and usually nutrient-rich water moves towards the ocean surface, replacing the warmer, usually nutrient-depleted surface water. This upwelling causes oxygen levels to drop, hence the death of these squids.

A screenshot from the video.

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Although it was said that the occurrence of dead fish and mollusks to the coast of Santa Maria during this time of the year was relatively common, they weren’t of this large scale.

The smell was, of course, an issue as some residents worried that it may pose health risks especially to the children. Deputy Police Chief Mario Grandon also stated that it could cause sanitary emergency due to the quantity of dead squids in their coast.

Furthermore, the Chilean government was also placed under scrutiny as it took them several days to send in heavy machinery to remove the dead squids.

According to Latin Correspondent,

technicians from the Chilean National Service for Fisheries and Aquaculture (Sernapesca) have collected samples of the dead squid and water for analysis in specialized centers.

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