To: Fish Story TMers
3-state fish kill puzzles scientists
One million croaker dead, littering beaches in Va., Del., and Md.
BY LAWRENCE LATANE III
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Aug 11, 2004
A fish kill that has left Virginia, Maryland and Delaware beaches littered with Atlantic croaker continues to puzzle scientists who are trying to determine its cause.
"We don't know what is going on," said Wolfgang Vogelbein, a scientist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science who is examining some of the dead fish for infection or disease. He said his lab is expected to finish its pathology work by the end of the week.
"These fish look healthy overall," Vogelbein said. "The only thing I've noticed is they're hemorrhaging extensively from the gills. That's unusual - I've never seen that before."
Estimates from the Maryland and Delaware portion of the Eastern Shore placed the number of dead fish at 1 million over the July 31 weekend, said Charles Poukish, an environmental program manager with the Maryland Department of the Environment. He said a raft of dead croaker 8 miles long by a quarter-mile wide were found offshore in the Atlantic Ocean.
No estimates were made on the uninhabited barrier islands that stretch down Virginia's Eastern Shore coast, but VIMS scientist Mark Luckenbach said the shores near Wachapreague Inlet "were absolutely littered" with the fish the same weekend.
Small numbers of croaker washed ashore at Virginia Beach on Saturday morning, according to Rob O'Reilly, a fisheries manager at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
Another kill was discovered Monday and yesterday at Metomkin and Wachapreague inlets on the Eastern Shore, where Luckenbach said he saw hundreds of dead fish on beaches and floating beyond the surf.
Luckenbach said all of the fish have been croaker 4 years old and older. The species is plentiful on the coast and inshore waters.
Water samples collected where dead fish have been found show no signs of toxic algae or low dissolved oxygen that could kill fish.
"It's just kind of puzzling," said Vogelbein.
It is possible that cold water from deep ocean currents came ashore and killed the fish, he said, "but I don't know if that accounts for this bleeding I see consistently from the gills."
But, Jack Travelstead, chief of fisheries management at VMRC, said, "The day before each of the three kills I'm familiar with there were some pretty sudden declines in water temperature."
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RE: Bleeding fish
I know nothing of marine life but, weren't there a couple of ships sent back out to sea to be searched? Could they have dumped something overboard? or
Maybe it's biblical.
Well normally I wouldn't pay much attention. Dead fish? Oh, too bad...
However, as Nana said, something could have been dumped offshore...or maybe those unmentionable folks did know something...
When they find fire, blood and ships destroyed let me know.
Revelation 8
8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood,
9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters.
It is possible that cold water from deep ocean currents came ashore and killed the fish, he said, "but I don't know if that accounts for this bleeding I see consistently from the gills."
What the hay?! Where is the EPA?!