Article+2+-+Mass+Fish+Deaths

Only three days after the hundreds of birds were found in Beebe, Arkansas, causing widespread inquiries, approximately 100,000 drum fish were reported to be found dead on December 30th, 2010, washed up along the coast of the Arkansas River. This was only 125 miles from the site of the mysterious falling birds. Drum fish, the specific breed of fish discovered floating and washed up, were scattered across more than 20 miles of the river between the Ozark Dam and Highway 109 Bridge in Franklin County. The information regarding the mass fish death didn’t reach the media until Monday, January 3rd.
 * Something's Fishy **

Officials said they don't know what killed the fish, but that contaminated water isn't likely to be the cause because only one species was affected. Because 99% of the fish were bottom-feeding drum, not a sport fish, disease is the likely culprit, an official told the Associated Press. Pollution or another toxin would have killed more species. Some fish were alive, but sick, and were sent to the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff for testing. Scores of dead fish continued to show up across the nation, Maryland being the next location.

On January 4th, hundreds of dead gizzard shad fish washed up on shore in the north end of the St. Clair River in Ontario, Canada. After investigating the happening, Ministry of Natural Resources spokesperson Jolanta Kowalski spoke to the media, stating that it was a natural occurrence and not the result of a chemical spill.

“We think it’s a natural occurrence,” Kowalski said. “They died off as a result of temperature shock because we had that really warm weekend ... and then it quickly cooled off again.” Kowalski said such die-offs are not unusual, and only one species was affected, further supporting the idea it was a natural occurrence.

State officials in Maryland began investigating a "very large" fish kill in the Chesapeake Bay on January 5th. An estimated 2 million fish, primarily adult spot, were found dead. They suspected cold temperatures to be the cause that killed them, rather than any water-quality problems like chemicals or poison.

Local biologists believe "cold-water stress" to be the likely cause of the giant fish kill. Spot are susceptible to colder water, and were normally known to leave the upper Chesapeake Bay by January. Water temperatures plummeted in late December to near-record lows for that time of year, hitting about 36 degrees. The average air temperature this December was 32.4 degrees, 4.3 degrees below normal, and reached 16 degrees at its lowest, according to the National Weather Service. The last time the Chesapeake saw such a massive fish kill was in 1976, records show, when about 15 million spot died due to the cold.

The fact that these occurrences had happened within a matter of days between each other caused much speculation, and multiple theories began to spread. Stretching all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, more reports of dead fish being found were released, creating more questions.

100 tons of sardines, croaker, and catfish died near Paraná, Brazil during the first week of January. Paraná is in the southern part of the Brazil, and has some coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. The 100 ton count came from a survey conducted by the Federation of Fishermen’s Colony of Paraná, Paranaguá.

The stories kept coming from all around the world, feeding the massive media frenzy. The next came from Florida, where thousands of dead fish were floating in Volusia County on January 4th. They were all found in Spruce Creek in Port Orange, Florida. The fish kill is unusual because it was rather warm that week, according to people who live along the creek. Residents could barely handle the stench, and asked authorities what could be the cause.

A representative from the Fish and Wildlife Commission told locals that it started the week before, and blamed cold temperatures. They speculated the kill wasn't growing, but that winds were causing fish to just pile up. Most of the fish were mullet, ladyfish and catfish, and not the valuable sporting fish called snook that died in mass during a cold spell last year.

Another story from across the ocean was reported on January 5th, this time from New Zealand. Hundreds of snappers began washing up on Coromandel Peninsula beaches. Beachgoers at Little Bay and Waikawau Bay found the fish - many with their eyes missing - dead on the sand. “Boaters coming in said there was a carpet of them floating in the water,” said beachgoer Mr. Hughes to NZ Herald, a local newspaper.

A Department of Conservation official told Mr. Hughes that fish in the Coromandel area were starving because of weather conditions, but his response was, "That's just completely untrue. This was something deliberate and it's just wrong." It is believed that the dead fish could’ve been illegally dumped, or a fishing net broke, releasing the thousands of dead carcasses.

On January 11th, at least thousands of gizzard shad could be seen floating dead in Lake Michigan. The high number of dead fish is believed to have been caused by the thick ice that came to Chicago early this year. Gizzard shad are more sensitive to drops in oxygen levels than other fish. Therefore, the explanation continued to be weather-related.

CBS News reported, “Over 40,000 dead devil crabs have washed up along the Kent coast in the U.K. The latest in the string of animal mass mortality incidents across the globe has caused many to wonder if an animal apocalypse is on the brink.” The Internet certainly helps in terms of traveling news, but tends to cause people to come up with different theories, some realistic, and others relating to the thought of conspiracy. Though the dead sea creatures found around the world have not yet been fully explained with biological tests, the results will soon be released, most likely denying the possibility of reality for the many theories now out on the web.