Possible Earthquake Precursors?…Anchovy Swarms Scattered Across Gyeongpo Beach Sand

Lack of Scientific Evidence Regarding Earthquake
Bizarre Scenes Including Picking Up Bare-Handed

Recently, a large number of anchovies washed up and died on the sandy beach of Gyeongpo Beach in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, attracting attention. In the local community, there are concerns that this might be a precursor to disasters such as earthquakes. However, experts have analyzed that there is insufficient correlation with disasters. It is estimated that the anchovies were driven to the shore and died while trying to escape higher predators like mackerel. There is also growing support for the view that this phenomenon is due to rapid water temperature changes caused by cold water masses.

On the 14th, Yonhap News reported that in the morning, numerous dead anchovies were seen forming long bands along the sandy beach of Gyeongpo Beach, pushed ashore by the waves. A similar phenomenon had occurred 2 to 3 days earlier at Gyeongpo Beach. While some express concerns that this might be a precursor to earthquakes, this is a phenomenon that almost repeats every summer along the East Coast.

Recently, schools of anchovies have been washing up and dying on the sandy beach of Gyeongpo Beach in Gangneung City, Gangwon Province, attracting attention.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Experts estimate that this phenomenon occurs as schools of anchovies, chased by higher predators such as mackerel, are driven toward the shore. There are also opinions that this is a result of rapid water temperature changes due to the influence of cold water masses, and they agree that assumptions related to earthquakes lack scientific evidence. The anchovies at Gyeongpo Beach this time mostly washed ashore at night, and by morning, flies gather around them, treating them like trash.

In the past, in Gangneung, Yangyang, and Goseong, when a huge number of anchovies washed up on the beach during the daytime, residents would pick them up with their bare hands or come out with baskets and nets to catch them, creating a remarkable scene. A nearby resident said, "I walk barefoot on Gyeongpo Beach every morning, and I found it strange that many dead anchovies have been washing up on the sandy beach since a few days ago," adding, "There was also an earthquake recently on the southern coast, so I am somewhat concerned."