The Maldives Marine Research Institute (MMRI), last week, appealed to the public to report incidents of mass fish die-offs.
MMRI said in a statement that they had received reports of incidents of fish kills in some parts of the country.
"... Could be caused by elevated sea surface temperatures, low tides, slack winds, and weak currents This leads to poor circulation and oxygen depletion, causing hypoxic conditions in fish and die-offs," the statement read.
MMRI said that there is reason to believe that the fish die-off is seasonal. They asked to report incidents by filling out the "Fish Kill Incident Reporting Form" and emailing it to data@mmri.gov.mv.
According to MMRI, similar fish deaths have occurred in 2007, 2008 and 2012 but the exact cause of such incidents has not been identified.
They advised the public to avoid consumption of fish from affected areas and avoid beach areas where fish kills are observed.
"Dead fish should be disposed of by incineration or burying while practicing proper caution, protection, and sanitation," MMRI stated.
