John Cowpland/Stuff
Large amounts of dead sea life washed up on a Napier beach on Thursday.
Scientists alerted to piles of dead kina, starfish and crayfish washed ashore in Napier arrived at the beach to find most of the dead sea life had been taken away by people.
Local residents noticed the dead creatures at a beach near the Napier Port on Thursday morning.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council sent scientists to the beach at around after fielding reports from members of the public.
On Friday the council’s science manager Anna Madarasz-Smith said the science team arrived by about 1.30pm to collect samples, but by that time “most of the dead animals had been removed by people in the area”.
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“We do urge people to not gather or consume the dead sea life,” she added.
The team was, however, able to find some samples for analysis which it hoped may point to a cause.
At this stage the situation was unexplained, Madarasz-Smith said.
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“We have had heavy rain and warm seas, and this may have contributed to this event. Our team are out on the water today taking samples. We need to undertake scientific analysis to determine the cause, and it may be some days before we have any answers,” she said.
“This event is heart-breaking, and shocking for our community, and indicates the marine ecosystem is struggling.”
The council’s pollution response team is investigating for any spills in the known high-risk areas in the vicinity.
John Cowpland/Stuff
One of the Napier beaches on which the dead sea life appeared.
Earlier this week the Napier Harbourmaster team said it was concerned at how much debris was floating around the entrance to the inner harbour and along Hardinge Rd, including whole trees and slash logs, and urged boaties and swimmers to be cautious.
New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said it was working with the council, but the most likely cause was recent heavy rain, similar to what was experienced in East Cape following Cyclone Hale.
“In the meantime we advise that where dead or dying sea life washes ashore, do not touch it and do not eat it as it may not be safe to eat. Please heed any public health warnings issued relating to swimming and collecting seafood.”
