Something Fishy in Redondo – A Million Dead Sardines

What’s that smelt? (Sorry.) Actually it was a million dead sardines (or anchovies depending on the news reports)  that washed up dead in the King Harbor Marina in Redondo Beach California.

‘One million’ dead sardines clog Redondo Beach marina

With the temperature on Tuesday already passing 68F (20C), the dead fish were beginning to smell.

Roughly 1,400 boats are moored at the harbour, including about 500 with full-time residents.

In some places, the dead fish were so thick boats were unable to leave the marina, officials said.

Local officials said they had found no traces of toxins or pollutants, and that they believed the fish had used up all the oxygen in the marina.

“We’re confident that it is a naturally occurring, but unusual event,” said Andrew Hughan, spokesman for the California fish and wildlife department.

He said it seemed likely that the fish had got lost after entering the marina and had been unable to find their way out. “They get confused easily,” he told the Associated Press news agency.

Earlier estimates put the number of dead fish at millions but the state fish and wildlife department later said it believed there were about one million.

Redondo Beach is about 16 miles (26km) south-west of Los Angeles.

 

Thanks to Alaric Bond and Phil Leon for passing the story along.

 

Comments

Something Fishy in Redondo – A Million Dead Sardines — 3 Comments

  1. On the Great Lakes it a common yearly occurrence for the Gizzard Shad to die off and every year the papers run a story and explain that its due to temperature variations.

    However this year, it you search “gizzard shad die off”, news media across the lakes are trying to use this as an excuse to sell papers and page hits as if it were some strange mysterious happening.

    When I was younger, I always wondered why no one bothered to scoop them up to bury in their garden for fertilizer? CNN reported that, that is what they plan on doing out in California.

    By the way Rick, if there was to be a photo or video with this story, I’m not seeing it and I’ve tried with three different browsers.

    Phil

  2. Phil,

    Sorry about the video. It works for me on Chrome, IE, Firefox and Safari. Internet video can be a real pain.

    Are those Atlantic shad you are referring to? There used to be huge runs of Atlantic Shad up the Hudson until the 70s, when pollution is though tot have effectively wiped them out.