Hundreds of dead stingrays wash ashore on Mexico beach

Over 250 dead stingrays have been spotted washed ashore on a beach in Veracruz, Mexico, apparantly dumped there by fishermen who weren't able to secure a good price for them. 

Spotted on Chachalacas beach near the town of Ursulo Galvan Tuesday, reports the BBC, federal authorities have been pressed into service to investigate the incident, at the behest of Veracruz Environment Minister Victor Alvarado Martinez. 

Read more from GlobalPost: Aquarium stingray bites diver 

A food vendor reportedly saw the fishermen dumping the stingrays out from their nets and onto the beach, reports the Associated Press.

Chachalacas fisherman Jaime Vazquez told the BBC that he'd never seen fishermen simply dump living animals onto the beach like that, and said they would have been properly released if fishermen couldn't sell them. 

Stingrays are cartilaginous shark cousins, with about 200 known species, according to the Mote Marine Laboratory. They're found in both freshwater and in saltwater habitats around the planet. 

Stingrays are a popular dish in Veracruz, and are widely eaten all over the world, especially in Asia. Stingray meat is reputed to taste rather like scallops, and it's a widely circulated urban legend that some unscrupulous restaurants serve cut-out portions of stingray in place of the more expensive real thing.