Mohan Kuthar
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (EP)
Mangaluru, Nov 23: Shoal of live sardine is being washed ashore at Ullal seashore here from the last three days. People are excited to witness this happening and are taking fish home. This natural pheromone of sardines being found at the seashore is happening not only at Ullal seashore but also at Mogaveerapatna, Kaiko, Kiliriyanagar and Someshwar seashore.
It occurred initially in the early morning on November 19. Locals and fishermen took the fish home. Some of them even sold them. People saw similar heaps of fish in several places in Ullal the next day also. This did not happen on Tuesday morning. However it was seen yet again on Wednesday, November 22. Live fish could be seen falling at the seashore every minute.
As the news spread, people came in vehicles and took tonnes of fish. Local people filled in bags and took home.
Similar incident five years ago
Sardines were found in large quantities here five years ago. Local elders say that they sometimes fall on the seashore while trying to escape from being caught in the nets.As sardines swim in lines, they make sound of a running train. Even if fishing net is spread, they have the capacity to raise the nets up to two feet high. As sardines go cautiously, they can make out the presence of boulders or large fish with the noise and swim at a safer distance to avoid them. “As fishermen of Manjeshwar spread nets in Ullal close to the seashore, the sardines while escaping from the nets might have fallen on the shore,” opined Ullal resident Yogish.