Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

You Tube Video
Baykeeper John Torgan at the scene of the fish kill in Wickford today.

More than 1,000 fish have been found dead today in the second fish kill in two weeks, this time in Wickford Cove.

John Torgan, Baykeeper for Save The Bay, said he could see at least 80 dead menhaden near the bridge for Route 1A in downtown Wickford shortly before noon, and he suspected there were hundreds more.

Shortly after noon, Torgan toured deeper into the cove with the local harbor master and reported at least 1,000 dead fish were on the bottom

"The good news is there are thousands of live ones in here too," Torgan said. "It's just a very productive place."

Last week, Torgan and others at the nonprofit environmental group documented a similar fish kill in the upper Bay. Both were attributable to low oxygen conditions that often develop at this time each summer as water temperatures increase and algae dies off.

Torgan said Save The Bay received numerous telephone calls from people who said they saw the menhaden swim into the harbor, and then thrash about and die when the reached areas with low oxygen.

"People are really upset by this because they saw it happen right before their eyes," said Torgan. "These are natural occurrences, but they also show that these embayments are stressed. Coves like this are the most productive parts of the Bay, but that also makes them the most vulnerable."

-- Journal environment writer Peter B. Lord

| More

Comments

ellie said:

If the boats in Wickford Harbor didn't dump sewage in there, this would probably not happen. You can't go thru there in a rowboat without rowing thru sewage.

Link | August 20, 2008 4:25 PM
Report Abuse

---

Leave a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish.

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.