Why did 200 Manta rays wash up on beaches in Gaza City?

Manta rays are a popular food in the region, and fisherman were thrilled to see the beach covered in easy catches.

“[They’re] sold in the market for six or seven shekels ($1-$2) per kilogram. The rich and poor eat it and we cook it with rice and tomatoes,” said local fisherman Eyad Almadoun in a video posted to YouTube that's now going viral.

The fish appeared en masse Wednesday, littering the sand. Some had wingspans measuring six feet. Manta rays used to frequently wash ashore, but not in recent years.

“The fish come every March, but this is the first time we have seen them in six years,” said Almadoun. “We used to get them from Egypt and bring them through the tunnels, which was difficult because we had to cut the fish in two and it was very expensive. But today God provides them for us here. Yesterday, 220 of the fish washed up on the Gaza shore and God willing tomorrow there will be more.”

Manta rays are large, cartilaginous fish with wide, broad, wing-like pectoral fins. Their wingspans can be up to 23 feet wide, which they “flap” like wings to propel themselves through the water. Manta rays are filter feeders, herding their zooplankton prey together, before using their cephalic fins to channel their prey into a gaping mouth.

It’s thought that manta rays can live over 50 years and they reproduce infrequently, which makes them vulnerable to overfishing.

It’s still unknown as to why the manta rays washed up on the Gaza beach.