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Experts believe there is no need for panic after hundreds of thousands of black mussels washed up on a Plettenberg Bay beach recently.
About 300m of the coastal town's Robberg Beach was covered in mussels sparking fears of a possible link to red tide, but experts say it appears to be a natural occurrence.
"A similar event happened last year in November in the same spot. Essentially large swells and currents break beds of mussels off the reef and they wash up. It does not appear to be linked to red tide or anything sinister at this stage," Nature's Valley Trust program director Dr Mark Brown said.
South African National Parks (SanParks) marine ecologist Kyle Smith agreed and added that along with the heavy swell there might also have been a large amount of sand movement which could have been a contributing factor.
"Most of the mussels were still alive when they washed up which lowers the possibility that the occurrence would be related to some form of toxin from either a red algal bloom or other source."
Both however said locals and visitors to the beach should however rather be cautious and not consume the mussels.
"As a precautionary measure I would advise the public not to eat them," Brown said.
