Massive La. Fishkill Prompts Oil Spill Questions

This story originally appeared on the website of CBS affiliate WWL-TV in New Orleans. It was reported by Maya Rodriguez

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It's been a rough summer in some of the waters around Plaquemines Parish in Lousiana - first, hit by the oil spill, and now, hit with fish kills .

"This is an extremely large fish kill, and there are many species in there," said Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser. "It's not just one group of fish-- it's redfish and trout and flounder. All species have been identified in this fish kill."

Plaquemines Parish officials spotted a massive fish kill on Friday. Hundreds of thousands of dead fish were floating west of the Mississippi River, in Bayou Chaland. It came several days after the discovery of starfish kill in nearby Barataria Bay. Then, on Monday, came the discovery of a dead baby whale near Venice.

Whether any of those incidents are related to the oil spill remains a big question. Some local officials believe more testing could provide an answer.
 
Special Section: Disaster in the Gulf

"We're talking about long-term testing of the quality of the water, the fish, and the environment," Nungesser said. "And we don't see a collective group really wanting to know what's going on. And we need to demand that happens."

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries sent biologists to Friday's fish kill to try and determine what may have caused it.

They declined to do an on-camera interview, but sent a statement to Eyewitness News about their findings.

"It was the result of low levels of dissolved oxygen," said Wildlife and Fisheries spokesperson Olivia Watkins. "This particular body of water becomes isolated during periods of low tide.... low tide kept the fish trapped in the body of water without access to the Gulf, limiting the available dissolved oxygen and killing the fish."

Still, concerns abound, not just about oil, but also about what impact oil spill dispersants, like Corexit, may have had on the environment. Nearly 2 million gallons of it were sprayed over the Gulf and underwater at the site of the broken wellhead.

"Here we are, trying to get our fishing back, trying to get our seafood back and with these kind of fish kills, it will going to have a lasting effect, if we don't do something about it," Nungesser said.

Watch WWL-TV's original report:

In the meantime, the parish has asked the two federal agencies, the EPA and NOAA, to investigate the fish kills. As for the dead whale, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is currently storing it in a freezer. They are now in discussions with NOAA and the Audubon Institute about who will conduct the necropsy to determine the cause of death.

[cbuchan3]

if there is a lack of dissolved oxygen in the water it is due to the oil spill. much of the oxygen in the water comes from the plants that live at the bottom of the marshes, the phytoplankton that live in the water column and at the surface of the water, algae, and from the wind churning up the water at the surface. much of the wetlands and tributaries that feed the tidal zones are covered with oil. the sunlight cannot penetrate the thick goo and effectively blocks the sunlight from reaching all the organisms that recharge the water with oxygen. photosynthesis does not take place. the oil also effectively blocks any contact with atmospheric oxygen, thereby adding to the suffocating conditions. add to that, when photosynthesis turns off, many organisms turn on respiration, meaning they take the oxygen from the water, reducing the oxygen levels even more. as noticed, this is an extremely deadly combination.

[ouchitatom]

People we can't p--s down the leg of mother nature and expcect her to just take it. This is just the begining and the more kills the more ignorant the scientist will become and what the public thinks won't really matter as long as the scientist get thier check.

[sandyfl100]

Please test these dead creatures 4 the Corexit 9527A used to break up & sink BP's oil. When the aircraft, including helicopters sprayed the chemicals, which then became 'airborne' and have been reported as far East as Homosassa, Florida, in a swimming pool's water with a level of 59.3 ppm of 2-butoxyethanol, a marker for the dispersant, Corexit 9527A. Contact with the water is believed to have caused a few people, rashes, severe diarrhea and very dark urine that lasted a couple of days. May God have mercy on us.........

[kalifani6]

"Whether any of those incidents are related to the oil spill remains a big question. "
***?!
This is the stuff that really makes me wanna puke.
They know *damm* well that it's CAUSED by the spill.
Acres of dead fish & whales--unprecedented in that PARTICULAR area of the Gulf..until after three months of non-stop oil GUSHING & CHEMICAL spraying
THE GULL OF THEM TO PRETEND LIKE IT TAKES A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO FIGURE THIS OUT.

Useless stall tactics.

Happened to all the 3rd world countries.
Was bound to happen to us[again]eventually.
So-called 'free-market' whoring politicians that,unfortunately most of the Gulf residents voted for, sold them out--dictator style.
Now, the World[not just U.S.]is in the throes of Libertarian Anarchy wreaking havoc on all that we depend on for our survival.

What's next?
Look for the 'experts' to try to play it off as if this was a natural occurence.
Holder's investigation will be as fruitless as his so-called investigation into the war crimes of the last POTUS Admin.
Droves of residents & visitors will come down w/ horrific illnesses the likes of which have never been seen before in areas where no oil-gusher occured.
It's pretty obvious what needs to be done to prevent this from ever happening again.
But that WON'T be done until protection of the people & the environment in which we dwell, becomes the first priority for the folks that rule this nation.
Right now, the gov. is Big Oil & Big Energy's *bottumm ******.

This nightmare is not gonna be over anytime soon.

[reading2]

It is unbelievable that people (officials) actually have the nerve to make a statement like they did. They know as well as the WORLD knows that all these hundreds of thousands of fish, whales, oysters, turtles etc. are DIRECTLY caused by ONE thing only and that is the BP horrific oil spill. God save the Gulf and the people that live and work there. As for YOU BP, and Halliburton (which has horrible records of their own) all of you should be run out of the USA. We can't afford the damages you cause us. Go to H--- and don't ask for help!

[sandyfl100]

Thank you, I just left my comment, as well. Your words, "This nightmare is not gonna be over anytime soon."

[xmissile]

It is probable that this mass die-off was the result of a natural occurance; however, I'll believe it when it is confirmed by a non-government entity. The relationship between BP and the gov't has been too cozy in this crisis with the latter acting a mouthpiece for BP.

[fr33loader]

Having grown up around areas like this large fish kills in the fall or around periods of low to no rain fall that cut off access to fresh water are VERY common. They happen in LA, FL, MN, AL and South America. In Florida and California you've got the "red tide", algae fed by fertilizer runoff from farms overpopulates the tidal waters and deoxygenates the water killing everything. If you're curious this is how fresh water kills in LA and FL start. The summer Sun feeds large plumes of algae that grow on the surface. Small fish with quick breeding cycles that eat algae multiple rapidly because of the abundant food. These small fish are much more "active" than larger predator fish like trout meaning they use a lot more oxygen by weight. As the weaker, older, fish begin to die from the dropping levels of algae their bodies rot. Bacteria in the water uses oxygen in this rotting process and bingo no more oxygen. You can Google "fish kill" and see picture after picture of this.

[fr33loader]

Oops forget to mention algae part of this equation. In the summer there is abundant sunlight during the day so through photosynthesis the algae creates surplus oxygen (by stripping the hydrogen atom off of water, thus releasing 2 atoms of oxygen) to make up for the oxygen used by bacteria and "respirated" by the algae at night. In the fall, when it's cloudy no such luck during the day.

[imthaid]

Don't worry. Obama says it's safe to eat them.

[mike18881]

and I agree. if not from the gulf I won't but it.

[jtom58]

I hear that BO and the whole family are headed down for a fish dinner and a round of golf.

[Bluhawk]

Couldn't have anything to do with the oil spill; of course not. Remember, that all miraculously disappeared! There's something here that smells worse than the dead fish.

[bobnjersey]

["This is an extremely large fish kill, and there are many species in there," said Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser. "It's not just one group of fish-- it's redfish and trout and flounder. All species have been identified in this fish kill." ]

is this to say there have historically been others in this region? if so ... how often ... where have they occurred ... and what was 'their' cause?

[MohatmaJeebus]

Too many humans is the cause. Come on lucky plague!