HAKODATE: A town in Japan’s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido faced a massive sardine beaching in late December but has struggled to find a company to dispose of the fish due to the New Year holidays, town officials said Monday, Kyodo News Agency reported.
Residents have raised concerns about hygiene as more than a week has passed since the town of Matsumae was alerted to the beaching on Dec. 28, which covered approximately 900 metres of shoreline along the Sea of Japan.
The cause of the incident remains undetermined.
“They’re starting to rot. The smell isn’t bad yet because the temperatures are low, but I hope they dispose of them soon,“ a female resident said.
The sardines may have been forced ashore by a sudden drop in water temperature, according to the Hakodate Fisheries Research Institute at the Hokkaido Research Organisation.
The town said a similar sardine beaching in December 2021, which required the disposal of approximately 24 tonnes of fish.