FOUR PRIME sUsPECts

Could Palm oil be the main culprit?

Palm oil is known to be attractive to dogs, so beach goers and dog owners are being urged to be wary.

The lard- looking substance is a natural product that is mainly used in food processing and can be legally discharged into the sea by ships. However, it can be contaminated by fuel waste and other toxins left in the waters, which ch eventually turns it into a solid formation of a wax substance.

It is known to be very toxic to dogs and can cause vomiting and diarrhoea, but can also cause kidney damage and liver failure. Could the answer lie in ‘ poisonous parsnips’?

The dangerous plant, known as Hemlock water dropwort, looks like a root, is found in shallow water and is most toxic in late winter and early spring.

The poisonous plant was washed up in stretches of beaches across North Ayrshire earlier this year.

One root is sufficient to kill a cow, and human fatalities are also known.

Could Harmful Algal Blooms ( HABs) be the cause?

Harmful algae are microscopic, single- celled plants that live in the sea and it can occasionally grow very fast or “bloom” and accumulate into dense, visible patches near the surface of the water – this can often be referred to as “Red Tide”.

Over the last few years, this has caused a number of deaths to birds and marine mammals.

Waste from tankers to blame?

Large container ships sit out in Ayr Bay waiting to get into ports or for a new cargo.