Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

Video Credit: AsiaWire

This is the moment tens of thousands of fish leap onto a crowded beach.

The bizarre phenomenon stunned hundreds of tourists at the beach in the village of Bai’an, which is in the town of Houmen in Shanwei City in South China’s Guangdong Province.

Video taken by surprised beachgoers shows them chasing after the jumping fish and trying to catch them with their bare hands on 20th October. According to witnesses quoted in local media, there were tens of thousands of fish.

The animals, believed to be silver croakers (Pennahia argentata), are a native species often caught and sold as food.

Visitors and local villagers rushed to catch as many fish as they could, with images showing large shoals of silver croakers having beached themselves on the sand.

Locals were free to take as many homes as they could, and many in the end collected the fish using bags, baskets and fishing nets.

Officials, however, remain baffled at the sight, and no one knows what caused the unusual behaviour.

Bai’an village resident Mr Huang said: “The entire beach was full of jumping fish. Nobody knew what was going on.

“We’ve never seen anything like this, not even the village elders.

“Personally, I don’t think this type of fish tastes very good. Our villagers don’t quite like them either.”

Members of the public have suggested the schools of fish may have been pushed ashore by passing fishing boats.

Others said they may have been pursued by a predator.

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