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  • 2022-01-21 (xsd:date)
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  • These photos circulated in reports before the Tonga volcano eruption (en)
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  • Photos of fish washed up on beaches have circulated in Facebook posts that claim they show scenes in Tonga after the Pacific island was hit by a tsunami. But the images have been shared in a false context: they have previously circulated in news reports about incidents in Australia, Uruguay, and Fiji. Dead fish washed ashore on Tonga after the Volcanic eruptions. The crabs though having a field day on the beach! reads this Facebook published on January 17, 2022. It has been shared more than 1,700 times. It shows two photos of fish washed up along shorelines, as well as another photo of a beach swarming with crabs. A screenshot of the misleading Facebook post as of January 20, 2022. A volcanic eruption near the Pacific island nation of Tonga on January 15, 2022 cut off communications and triggered a Pacific-wide tsunami. The aftermath left a thick layer of ash which slowed the delivery of aid. The photos were shared in similar Facebook posts here and here . But the images have been shared in a false context. Australian beach A Google reverse image search found the first photo was published in this article by the Australian newspaper Sunshine Coast Daily on September 4, 2015. The article reported thousands of fish were found on a beach in Buddina in the state of Queensland. According to the report, experts could not explain why so many fish were washed up on the shore. A screenshot of the Sunshine Coast Daily article as of January 20, 2022. Uruguay fish A Google reverse image search found the second image was published in an article by Spanish-language newspape r El País on March 13, 2015. The article is about dead fish that washed up on the coast of Uruguay's capital Montevideo and its largest city Canelones. A screenshot of the El Pais article, as of January 20, 2022. Uruguay's National Directorate of Aquatic Resources said in a statement on March 16, 2015 that the fish died due to a lack of oxygen after being trapp ed in shallow waters. Fiji photo AFP found the third image of crabs in a Facebook post with several other images published on January 16, 2022. Shared by Facebook user Aisea Kai'tu, the caption states the images were t aken on Fiji's Gau Island. Kai'tu told AFP he took the photos of land crabs gathered along the shoreline of Yadua village. They only come twice a year, he said. The Fiji Times wrote about the crabs being spotted in Yadua village in an article published on December 29, 2020. Below is a comparison of the image in the misleading post (left) and the image in the original Facebook post (right): (en)
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