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Short Sharp Science: A New Scientist blog

Huge fish kill – a common sight in Louisiana


Not a road, but dead fish. This large fish kill was reported last Friday in Plaquemines parish, Louisiana. Associated Press reports that biologists at the state department of wildlife and fisheries have determined the BP oil spill is not at fault.

Summer dead zones are common in the Gulf of Mexico, caused by the large amounts of fertiliser that get flushed down the Mississippi river, which triggers a dramatic drop in the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water. Researchers have been concerned that microbes breaking down the oil from the BP spill might exacerbate this year's dead zone and have been closely monitoring oxygen levels in the Gulf.

(Image: Plaquemines Parish Government)

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Thats horrific!


Good news! There'll be no shortage of McFish sandwiches this fall.


Unbelievable...the USA is physically one of the greatest countries in the world (after 10 years there I still can't wrap my head around how big it is) and they can do this kind of thing to the land and the water...

I read an American children's book when I was a kid called "The Story of Splash and Trickle" - it was basically a propaganda (in an informational sense) about soil erosion told from the point of view of two raindrops. They need to make a comeback.


I've seen this happen in the State of Maine (U.S.) where predator bluefish chased large schools of menhaden into coves a mile across, consuming all the oxygen. The smell is intense after a few days in the hot sun -- one homeowner said it was peeling the paint off his house.
Glad to see the oil-financed state government of Louisiana had already proclaimed BP innocent. No need for science!


Shouldn't they be re-oxygenating the dead zone caused by their fertilizer?


"a common sight" ... then why isn't it prevented??


Over nutrification caused by the wheat/corn/hog belt upstream, causes bacteria to consume oxygen in warm water, killing fish like the menhaden in the picture...fix: get farmers to put in rows of shrubs to catch fertilizer (good for farmer too...keeps in topsoil) and use more efficient delivery methods, get people to stop fertilizing their lawns. One upside of the Asian Carp..they filter the MS river...helping a very teeny bit, but not enough.


everybody thinks they are an expert these days if it was so easy they would already have done it expect more and more of these kinds of things


in what numbers are the fish dieing


What do you expect from a food industry happy to feed millions on highly poisonous pesticides and high fat junk foods for a quick buck?

RJR - a tobacco company bought Nabisco - a food company. Is that a hint?


At this level, the picture is more significant than the numbers. If you told me that 2.5 million fish died, I would have to ask "Is that a lot?". But when they are so thick that I confuse them for asphalt, I know it is a big deal.

Not that it matters. "In this economy, we can't afford any more regulation"; "There is no evidence that this is man-made and if there is, that research was done by biased elitist researchers who want to take away our freedom and hate America."; "if those fish can't learn to adapt, maybe humans don't need them around anyway."; "It will hurt small businesses."


I am embarassed to be a part of the same race as the people responsible for this. This article probably won't even get a rise out of 90% of Americans. Pathetic.


We all know reports can be misleading, but if I take this at face value I am driven to comment.

I compare this tragic picture and report with those of the wildlife affected by the oil disaster in the Gulf. In the oil case, the President got involved and it was in the headlines for months. BP has taken responsibiltiy and is paying billions of dollars to rehabiltiyte the environment. BUT, in the same geography, other businesses can apparently regularly get away with mass slaughter every year!

Why are there no Senators and Journalists clamouring for the guilty parties to be held to account?

Ok - I know this is American polluters, polluting America, and not a foreign competitor, but the apparent indifference does raise important questions.


2 次日出台wood 被拉上太空突破 普密蓬 他和 俘虏 佛如 2 突破


One of the drawbacks (if you want to call it a drawback) to wood furniture such as boxes, dressers and drawers is that the wood will sometimes absorb any odors from the items stored in the drawer.


Hmmmm, insightful… also I read that John Farrell spent 10 periods pitching in the majors for the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers. And he is been the pitching trainer for the Boston Red Sox since 2006.

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