Scallops were spotted washed up on the beach at Branksome last week as a result of the recent stormy weather.

Fiona Hindle-Burn contacted the Echo after seeing the scallops on the sand. 

The shellfish are common in the Dorset seas, with commercial fisheries for them operating out of Weymouth.

Professor Rick Stafford, a marine biologist professor at Bournemouth University, said that the likely explanation for their appearance on our shores is the stormy seas.

Bournemouth Echo:

“They can swim, but they are not great swimmers by any means,” he said. “With all the storms, I’d image a few of them have just been washed in.”

He suggested that this was nothing to be concerned about, as the shellfish were still alive.

Bournemouth Echo:

“I think its just a part of a natural process to do with storms,” he said.

If members of the public spot them on the beach, Professor Stafford said: “They can just be put back in the sea, if anyone finds them, that’s probably the best thing to do.”