Fury after Roquetas beach-goer drags harmless moon fish onto beach and holds it down

MARINE life rescue association Equinac reacted furiously to the death of a harmless moon fish on a Roquetas de Mar beach after a man dragged it out the sea.
“Creatures live in the sea and they have every right to approach the beach without being attacked or harassed, without there being a collective hysteria, and even less that it has to die at the hands of people like this gentleman”, the organisation said.
Equinac, the authorised association for dealing with marine life beachings in Almeria, explained that the moon fish, which is about the size of a medium-sized dolphin, had been spotted swimming off the Roquetas coast for three days, moving with currents with its fin above the water, as the species does.
Over that time, members of the public mistaking it for a shark or dolphin alerted the authorities.
Equinac made it clear the creature was harmless and should be left alone.
However images posted on social media show a man holding the fish down on the sand.
Equinac has now launched legal action against the beach-goer in question. The Guardia Civil is also investigating the incident.