France and the European Union are investigating why a fishing boat dumped a mass of dead fish in the Atlantic Ocean off France, after an environmental group released video and photos of the incident.
Images from Sea Shepherd France, a marine conservation NGO, show a blanket of dead blue hake on the surface of the Bay of Biscay, off the coast of southwestern France.
The group estimates that there were around 100.000 dead individuals.
Due to the "shocking" images in the Atlantic Ocean, French Maritime Minister Anick Girardin tweeted that she had ordered the National Fisheries Monitoring Center to investigate what happened.
The European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries announced an investigation "to the national authorities of the fishing area and the presumed flag state of the vessel, in order to obtain detailed information and evidence about the case".
The Association of Pelagic Freezer-Trawlers, which represents the Lithuanian-registered trawler Margiris, which caught the fish, said in a statement that the fish was "involuntarily released" on February 3 due to the trawler's net tearing.
"This kind of accident is a rare occurrence, and in this case it was caused by an unexpectedly large amount of fish caught," the announcement states.
Sea Shepherd, however, questioned whether it was an accident or a deliberate "disposal of unwanted fish".
The group called for more policing of the seas, particularly of large industrial trawlers, to protect marine life and the oceans.
Bonus video:
