Authorities in Mexico are looking into the de.aths of at least 300 stingrays discovered on a beach in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. Residents and visitors first saw the de.ad rays on the Chachalacas beach in Ursulo Galvan on Tuesday and shared images on social media. Mayor Martin Verdejo of Ursulo Galvan believes the stingrays may have been abandoned by fishermen after becoming entangled in their nets. They just dumped their nets onto the sand after realizing they were unlikely to gain much money from their sale.
Others claim that the deceased came were swept ashore at daybreak by the waves. According to beachgoers, several of the rays’ fins looked to have been severed, and it is suspected that fishermen sold the portions of the fish they could sell and then simply abandoned the remains.
Adriana Loredo, a food vendor, claims she was at the beach when she noticed fishermen dropping the rays from their nets. Chopped stingray wings are a popular delicacy in Veracruz restaurants. While the stingrays are still on the beach, they pose a risk to tourists because, even though they are de.ad, their stings are still intense and, while not dangerous, are exceedingly pa.inful.
This is not the first time a huge number of rays have been discovered stranded, and this one looks to have a reason. Near February of this year, 220 Mobula Rays were discovered washing up on the shore in Gaza City, Palestine. The Mobula Ray resembles the more well-known Manta Rays, which are of the same family, and may grow to be up to 17ft wide and weigh more than 12 stone.
According to Bob Rubin of Santa Rosa Junior College in California, one of the world’s foremost experts on Rays, the mass stranding might have been triggered by huge underwater sounds or electrical impulses that induced some condition of confusion.
