Why are there so many dead fish in Boston ponds?
Nestled on the edge of Brookline and Boston, Leverett Pond is usually an ample spot to observe nature, but right now the shores of the pond are lined with dead fish.
"You don't see dead fish too often. The last time I did, it was in the talons of a bald eagle," said Jeffrey Taylor, a nature walk guide who used to work for the Audubon Society. "When they're just washed up like that, you don't know what killed them."
By the look of the fish, Taylor believes they are the infamous and invasive Asian carp that have become a nuisance in waterways across the country.
"These carp are adapted for low oxygen situations, but it could be that something is in the water decreasing the amount of oxygen to the point that even the carp can't live," said Taylor.
Meryl Blinder used to be a court sketch artist, and she now comes to the pond to draw the animals. You won't find her with a sketchpad in hand now.
"No, I don't think so," laughed Blinder. "Dead fish are just somehow not my subject."
She spotted park rangers removing fish from the lake earlier this week.
"One of them said to me that they believe it's that drastic change in temperature took the oxygen out of the water, and that's why they died," Blinder said.
A similar incident happened in Worcester recently. The city said the temperature swing and low water levels led to a decrease in oxygen, killing fish in the pond in University Park.
"We are not losing an important part of the environment by losing the carp. It's just a sign that there's something going on here," said Taylor.
Emily Stolarski, a spokesperson for Mass Wildlife, said the recent fish kill at Leverett Pond was most likely caused by a combination of low water levels and high temperatures resulting in low dissolved oxygen.
"This fish kill mainly involved common carp that had just finished spawning, leaving them physically weakened and more vulnerable to stress from low oxygen levels," Stolarski said in a statement to CBS News Boston.
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation said this location is under the jurisdiction of the Boston Parks and Recreation Department.
A Boston Parks and Recreation spokesperson said State Environmental Police were notified and were not initially concerned. Recreation officials are continuing to work with Mass. Fish and Wildlife and the Town of Brookline to assess the situation.
"While seeing dead fish can cause distress and prompt concerns, the vast majority of seasonal fish kills are natural events," the Boston Parks and Recreation spokesperson said. "As warm weather arrives, ponds heat up and oxygen levels in the water can decrease, which can stress fish populations and occasionally result in seasonal fish kills. At this time, there is no indication of a public safety concern."
