Zanzibar probes mass death of swimming crabs

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Zanzibar probes mass death of swimming crabs

1:50 CAT | 14 Oct 2022

Dead crabs have been washing up on the beaches of Zanzibar

The Zanzibar government is investigating the cause of the mass deaths of swimming crabs that have washed up on the beaches of the Tanzanian islands.

Since 28 September, there have been reports of the dead crabs washing ashore at Mtoni, Mizingani and Forodhani public beaches in Unguja island.

Initial reports indicate that climate change leading to an abrupt change in the temperature of the sea and ocean waves might be the main cause of the deaths of the crabs, Zanzibar’s director of development and fisheries told the BBC.

“We are now investigating the cause but some living things like the swimming crabs cannot resist sudden changes in the sea, and they die and wash ashore,” said Dr Salum Soud, who is also a marine scientist.

“Ocean waters have layers of temperatures and so the waves force water underneath to go up thus may cause low oxygen hence the crabs are likely to face death,” he added.

The government has urged locals, fishermen and tourists not to get worried about pollution and that the incident is being investigated to establish the cause.

Source: BBC