Local Officials: Lack of Oxygen Likely Killing Thousands of Fish in the Gulf
Getty Imaegs
Preliminary tests show that a lack of oxygen in part of the Gulf of Mexico caused thousands of fish to die, according to Louisiana authorities quoted by the Los Angeles Times.
The dead fish were found at the mouth of the Mississippi River, and state officials said the phenomenon—called a “fish kill” in some parts and a “jubilee” in others—was not directly related to the oil from BP's ruptured well, reported the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
“By our estimates there were thousands, and I'm talking about 5,000 to 15,000 dead fish," St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro said in a news release. "Different species were found dead including crabs, sting rays, eel, drum, speckled trout, red fish, you name it, included in that kill."
Dead zones, or areas of depleted oxygen, occur every year in the Gulf because of nutrient runoff from the Mississippi River stimulating oxygen-consuming bacteria. But as we’ve noted, scientists have predicted a larger than average dead zone this year—raising questions of whether the low-oxygen conditions are being exacerbated by the oil spill.
Bloomberg pointed out that these fish kills occur every year when fish, crabs, eels and shrimp move toward the shoreline to escape the low-oxygen waters, but this year scientists have seen the kills occurring “in open water for the first time, raising concern that low-oxygen areas are expanding” because of the oil.
Other scientists cautioned against jumping to conclusions.
"A lot of things can explain a fish kill, which is not uncommon during the hot summer weather in Louisiana,” a Louisiana State University scientist, Ralph Portier, told the L.A. Times. “It could be the nutrient-rich environment with a lot of heat. It could be rainfall. It could be changes in salinity or upwelling from disturbed sediment."
But Bloomberg pointed out that another fish kill also occurred in late June off the coast of Alabama, and here’s what scientists there noted:
“Most of us believe it had something to do with the oil,” said Robert Shipp, 67, chairman of the Marine Sciences Department at the University of South Alabama. There was a “consensus” among faculty at the University of South Alabama and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab that oil played a part in the event, which was “quite different” from the naturally occurring jubilees in the Gulf’s Mobile Bay, Shipp said.
Scientists in Alabama have also reported discovering a mysterious brown residue washing up along the shoreline, reported the Alabama Press-Register. Chemical analysis has shown it is not oil, but contains hydrocarbons, leaving scientists wondering if it’s the remnant of degraded oil or something else, perhaps plankton.
The BP oil disaster in the Gulf has had untold health, economic and environmental effects.
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7 comments
carlos perez
Aug. 24, 2010, 2:43 p.m.
I bet it was the fracking. ProPublica needs to enlist the help of the Endocrine Disruption Exchange. Once Theo Colburn is on the case, I’m sure we will be able to trace the fish kill in the Mississippi Delta to hydraulic fracturing.
Maybe it was Macondo.
I bet all the oil & gas companies will try to pin this catastrophe on overloading the Mississippi nitrogen runoff from the corn belt.
I bet it is fracking.
cAPT. MT
Aug. 24, 2010, 2:45 p.m.
First the fish kill occured at the mouth of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) due to the Corp of Engineers construction of the rock dam last year. Secondly the high Miss River freshwater did contribute to low oxygen levels along with the MRGO stagnation problem the COE created BUT and this must be STRONGLY said there was thick oil found all around the area yesterday as well from Grassy Island to Deadman’s Island. The hydrocrabon’s absolutely helped deplete the already struggling area of oxygen which resulted in the fish kill.
I’m tired of BP and State of Louisiana & Federal Officials saying this was a “Jubilee” event. Poppycock because this area hasn’t experienced a jubilee in that area in my 65 years fishing this same waters NOR has my boat been coated in oil the same way it was the last two days.
its a combination of all three elements. I hate it when you guys buy this government & BP inspired propaganda that its just a jubilee or red tide event.
Ken Abbott
Aug. 24, 2010, 9:12 p.m.
cAPT. MT - I would like to photograph boat captains in the Gulf Coast area. Please contact me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
AK Scofield
Aug. 25, 2010, 9:06 a.m.
“Chemical analysis has shown it is not oil, but contains hydrocarbons, leaving scientists wondering if it’s the remnant of degraded oil or something else, perhaps plankton”
Scientists can identify a person from one strand of hair, yet they cannot identify a brown goo from a coastline as being animal, vegetable or mineral?
What is wrong with this picture?
MG
Aug. 25, 2010, 3:26 p.m.
ralph portier is a scientist that was used by bp in the past…“Portier said he was among a group of scientists used by BP….” businessweek June 2 2010.
BP is ONLY going to work with scientists that say what bp wants. In the article above he says rainfall could be the cause for thousands more fish dying….maybe if the rainfall contained all the poisons put in the air from the burned oil, dispersants, and other air bourne oil particles!
Jim Senter
Aug. 25, 2010, 3:46 p.m.
De-oxyenation may be the proximate cause of these fish kills, but that doesn’t mean that BP is innocent. All those bacteria that are eating all the oil floating around under the surface are like us. They use oxygen to “burn” their food for energy. If they are as busy as some government scientists claim, they could add a great deal to oxygen starved waters.
Expect the Gulf of Mexico dead zone—waters so oxygen-starved that nothing can live in it—to explode in size.
Jerry
Aug. 28, 2010, 10:31 a.m.
Where are all the thousands of dead animals and fish being disposed of ?? Are we Recycling them into Cat food, fertilizer, pig slop filler and other areas that could come back and BITE us in the ass 5 years from now or does Bp have a sub-contractor selling them off at a discounted rate because they have oil in them ?? ... Just looking a little further down the road,I haven’t heard a word about these clean up efforts. When will that happen , after it’s to late? Just a thought. Thank you jerry from Florida