Millennial Mysteries: Mass Deaths of Fish in Maryland, Brazil and New Zealand

Dead Snapper in New Zealand. Photo by Geoff Dale. Image Source: New Zealand Herald.

Further on blog posts on mass deaths of birds and fish elsewhere (here, here and here), several news outlets are reporting mass deaths of fish in Maryland, Brazil and New Zealand. This is being attributed by some scientists to sudden temperature changes. This does not explain, however, why the deaths of fish on the Arkansas River earlier this week were species-specific. For my post on all locations of bird and fish deaths, go here.

Dead fish in Chesapeake Bay. Video Source: Digital Journal.

At Chesapeake Bay, two million fish (other reports have lower numbers) have washed up dead Maryland's beaches.  Digital Journal reports:

The Maryland Department of the Environment is investigating the deaths of tens of thousands of small fish that have died in the Chesapeake Bay in the past week. "An estimated 2 million fish have been reported dead from the Bay Bridge south to Tangier Sound, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment, which investigates fish kills," reports the Baltimore Sun.

A Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) spokesman, Dawn Stolzfus, said that the giant fish kill, consisted mostly of croakers but also included menhayden and spots. The massive fish kill reportedly occurred because of cold water stress in the bay, where temps have dropped rapidly to about 2 degrees Celsius, according to the Washington Post.

WBAL TV11 reports the fish usually swim to warm waters by the time the cold temperatures have hit the waters of the bay. Researchers have no idea on why they didn't migrate to warmer waters before December. ... This isn't the first time excessive numbers of winter fish kills in the Chesapeake Bay have been recorded. The MDE spokesman said in 1976 and in 1980 large numbers of fish deaths were blamed on cold water stress.

Via the Examiner, other reports are coming out of Brazil and New Zealand:

Additionally, the Paraná Online reports that 100 tons of dead fish, mainly sardines, were found on the beaches of Paranagua, Brazil Sunday. They have also begun to appear on the coasts of Pontal do Pontal do Parana, Guaraquecaba, and Antonina.

Furthermore, a ‘carpet’ of dead snapper has appeared on a New Zealand beach, according to the New Zealand Herald. On Tuesday, the New Zealand’s Ministry of Fisheries announced an investigation into the hundreds of dead snapper that washed up at Little Bay and Waikawau Bay. Fishery officials deemed the fish unsafe to eat and are investigating the mass deaths.