A mass of starfish have washed up on the beach at Margate today (December 26).
Dogwalker Tony Waitt discovered the sad sight after taking dog Alfie for a morning run on the sand.
Hundreds more are reported to be washed up between Westbrook and St Mildred’s Bay.
Starfish strandings are a natural occurrence that happen every year to some degree. The Natural History Museum says large strandings often occur after stormy weather when water currents become stronger and wash the starfish to the shore. Starfish live on the soft, sandy parts of the ocean floor and are easily picked up by currents and waves.
Heavy storms can cause even deep water to move and affect offshore starfish populations. Changing tides, high winds and sea swell can also be factors.
Similar incidents happened across the isle in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2018 when thousands of Devil crabs – also known as Velvet swimming crabs – starfish, lobsters, sponges and anemones, were washed up on beaches following severe weather. Large starfish strandings were also reported in 2023 and 2024.
Did you know…
Starfish suck the life out of the seabed by smothering shell fish like mussels and clams. They even smother fish trapped in nets and leave marks on them.
Not hundreds of starfish. Tens of millions of them, along with a huge number of other creatures, crabs and anemones etc
How immensely sad. That ruined my Christmas. Let’s blame the Jews.
What a stupid comment to make, kindky keep your antisemetic views to yourself
Really stupid thing to add to a nice comment
How is “let’s blame the Jews” a nice comment ? Why blame Jews for the deaths of 1000’s of starfish ?
This is not anti-Semitic. And it didn’t ruin my Christmas…
Blaming Jews for the death of the starfish seems antisemitic to me and a totally unnecessary thing to do.
Rest assured. I think Santa had an equal share in the blame. But I forgot to mention him. Honestly? The only people I could have offended are the people who blame the Jews for anything bad happening in this world.
Does someone look after you ?
Palm oil killed them as is now being washed up onshore. Pollution is rife with Margate.
Palm oil will kill us eventually.
Starfish? Not the reason.
Heavy winds blowing surface water further away from the coast are compensated by deep tidal currents returning to the beaches with all the creatures living on the bottom of the sea.
Same happened yesterday in De Panne, Belgium.