Locals rush to beaches to grab sardines that washed ashore

Malpe/Surathkal: Scores of sardines were washed ashore on the beaches of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi on September 19.

Heaps of sardines were seen on the beaches at Bada Nidiyuru Kadike and on a stretch from Mukka Jora to Mitrapatna on Monday afternoon. As the news spread, locals made a beeline to grab the fish.

Praveen Kanchan, a local who witnessed the spectacle, said about 800 kg of fish were collected. Some took the fishes home, while others seem to have sold them.

The exact reason for the mass beaching is not known. However,  local fishermen suspect the school of fish might have been disoriented by the boat engines that were seen fishing near the shore.

This is not a one-off event, locals said, similar incidents had occurred in the past, on the beaches in Kapu and Yermal. But it is a first for Kadike, they added.