New marine species wash ashore following mysterious deaths of herring in Nova Scotia

PLYMPTON, N.S.—Massive numbers of dead starfish, clams, lobsters and mussels have washed up on a western Nova Scotia beach, compounding the mysterious deaths of tens of thousands of herring in the area.

Ted Leighton, an adjunct biology professor at Nova Scotia’s University of Sainte-Anne, said social media photos showing bottom-dwellers strewn in the sand near Plympton, N.S., could be an indication that the phenomenon that has killed schools of herring in St. Marys Bay is possibly spreading to new species.

The retired veterinary pathologist has compiled more than 40 sightings of dead herring since late November, to shed light on an ecological puzzle that has stumped the scientific community.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/12/28/new-marine-species-wash-ashore-following-mysterious-deaths-of-herring-in-nova-scotia.html