Tons of Mackerel That Washed Ashore Probably Were Dumped, Officials Say

Twenty tons of Pacific mackerel that washed ashore near here probably were dumped by a commercial fisherman, officials of the California Department of Fish and Game said Thursday.

“The kill was not related to any biological causes,” Fish and Game spokesman Patrick Moore said. “We have also ruled out any radiological emissions” from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, Moore said.

Moore said Fish and Game wardens are speculating that the fish that washed up along six miles of beach had been discarded.

“They could have had a problem on the boat if life and property were in jeopardy,” he said. “Fishermen also work on quotas, but if they were over quota, they might have dumped them. . . . We can’t be certain.”

The estimated 40,000 pounds of fish littering the beaches are not considered a health hazard, because high tides probably will wash the fish out to sea, Moore said.

“For now, the birds are having a field day,” he said.

Similar cases of fish dumping occur about half a dozen times a year in Southern California, but rarely in the quantities seen in Wednesday’s incident, Moore said.

Dumping fish violates state laws that prohibit the wasting of wildlife. But without any leads or evidence, Fish and Game officials are not pursuing an investigation, Moore said.