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Masses of starfish have been discovered washed up on a beach in Fife, creating a peculiar sight for beachgoers and residents alike. The starfish were found stranded on the beach front at Kirkcaldy promenade, as well as along a nearby rocky section of the coastline. It is believed that strong onshore winds may have contributed to the stranding of these marine creatures.
Helen Clark, an 86-year-old resident of Kirkcaldy, expressed her surprise at the unusual sight, noting the strong winds the day before as a potential cause for the mass stranding. Her son, Andrew, who traveled from nearby Inverkeithing, also found the situation very unusual and questioned the reason behind the large number of dead starfish. The family urged authorities to investigate the matter and determine what may have caused such an event.
Local authorities from Fife Coast and Countryside Trust have conducted an inspection of the site and have decided to let the tides naturally reclaim the dead starfish while they continue to monitor the situation. Experts have indicated that events like these are not uncommon in the autumn and winter months due to storm events and onshore winds disturbing the seabed. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has also acknowledged the incident and stated that similar occurrences have been reported along the east coast of Scotland in previous years.
The phenomenon of mass strandings, such as the one observed in Kirkcaldy, could be linked to starballing, a behavior where starfish curl up to float with the current, making them vulnerable to beach strandings. Researchers at Plymouth University’s Marine Institute first observed this behavior over a decade ago and theorize that starfish use strong tides to relocate efficiently to other areas, though more research is needed to fully understand this behavior. The stranding of starfish in Kirkcaldy is reminiscent of previous incidents, such as those during Storm Arwen in 2021 and Storm Emma in 2018, where adverse weather conditions led to the washing up of hundreds of starfish and other sea creatures on beaches
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