Thousands of washed up starfish were discovered at Wardie Bay, Granton, on 8 January.
Hannah Foster came across the animals before her 08:00 morning swim, stating: “It was really sad and bizarre to see them all washed up and tangled in the seaweed, there were so many.
“We did a short swim and took some with us that looked like they still had colour, in a bid to save them. I don’t know if it would have done anything, but you always have to try in these situations.”
This mass stranding of the invertebrates follows a similar occurrence at Kirkcaldy Beach, Fife in September, an event which the Scottish Environment Protection Agency described as “part of the natural cycle of marine life.”
Marine biologists have suggested that rapid changes in weather, storms and heavy seas could explain the stranding of the starfish.
This is because powerful storms can dislodge starfish from the seabed, carrying them ashore where they then die from exposure.
A marine biologist at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban noted that there has been no “thorough investigation” into the matter: “However, stormy weather and the recent rapid change in temperature could have been contributing factors.”
“Wardie Bay – geograph.org.uk – 7007394” by Mick Garratt is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0