Some speculated about the apocalypse but fishermen and harbour chiefs are puzzled after millions of dead sardines were found floating in a marina just south of Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Experts said the fish, found at a harbour in Redondo Beach, may have died from lack of oxygen due to algae, while locals wondered if high winds overnight might have had something to do with it.
"It looks like what happens to goldfish when you don't change the water in the tank, mouth open and belly up," local official Bill Workman said, cited by the Los Angeles Times newspaper.
"There are no visible signs of any toxins that might have caused [the deaths] and our early assessment is that this was oxygen depletion," he said, adding: "There are no oil slicks or leaking of substances into the water."
Locals at Redondo Beach, where the stench from the dead fish hung over King Harbour, suggested that high winds could have driven the fish into the harbour, where their sheer numbers would have reduced the oxygen available.
Experts were cautious.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/la-mystery-as-millions-of-fish-float-belly-up-in-harbour-20110309-1bn8m.htmlhttp://www.smh.com.au/environment/millions-of-fish-dead-in-harbour-20110309-1bnzc.html
Topic: Millions of fish dead in harbour (Read 1074 times)