Dead fish continue to wash up on shores of south-west England

Stranded whitebait have been turning up off the south coast of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. Hundreds of dead fish were found in Mullion harbour.

Hundreds of tiny dead fish have been found washed up in Mullion harbour.

The beach was left littered with the small whitebait at low tide after they became stranded.

The same phenomenon has been reported all along the south coast as far as Dorset over the past two weeks.

The fish get driven into shore after they are chased by predators - in this case mackerel.

Bob Felce, who has written a book on the history of the cove,

said it was an extremely rare sight. "It is a rare occurrence. One fisherman who has lived here for over 60 years says he can only remember this happening on two or three previous occasions

," he said.

"Mullion is an enclosed, small harbour so the trap was laid when they chased them in. The coast around the Lizard has been full of mackerel for a couple of weeks; I had a few hours in a boat off Coverack last week and you could almost walk on them.

"I understand that the price in Newlyn has gone rock bottom."

The dead fish prompted a hurried call for locals to try their hand at fishing from the piers.

As well as mackerel, it was reported that bass were also feeding in the harbour.

Mr Felce added: "Many years ago, there might have been a call to net the harbour entrance or send out the pilchard boats.

"Victorian and Edwardian tourists often described and wrote of the scene as the large oak boats cast their nets in front of the cove."

Similar reports of stranded whitebait have also came from the River Tamar; West Bay, in Dorset, and Brixham.