Millions of dead fish at King Harbor in Redondo Beach [Updated]

 

Authorities in Redondo Beach are investigating what killed millions of fish over the last day at King Harbor Marina.

Fish, including anchovies, sardines and mackerel were floating lifeless in Basins 1 and 2 of the north side of King Harbor Marina.

"There’s basically fish everywhere you go in the harbor," said the harbor's assistant manager, Jason McMullin, who added that there were reports that a red tide may have driven the fish into the harbor in massive numbers where they died because of limited oxygen.

Redondo Beach public works officials were dispatched to the harbor to investigate further but did not have immediate comment.

The fish were attracting huge flocks of seagulls and other birds.

[Updated at 12:15 p.m.: Redondo Beach officials said initial assessments suggest oxygen depletion in the King Harbor basins caused the massive fish die-off.

City Manager Bill Workman said city officials with the help of marine experts would help determine if there was any environmental issue involved. Tests are now being performed on the water as officials begin removing the dead fish, which city officials estimated to be in the millions.

“There are no visible signs of any toxins that might have caused [the die-off] and our early assessment is that this was oxygen depletion,” Workman said. “This is similar to what we experienced five years ago but that was distinctly a red tide event but there’s no discoloration of the water, no associated foaming in the waves, Workman said. “There are no oil slicks or leaking of substances into the water.”

Workman noted that the harbor had been teeming in recent weeks with bait fish that even after their deaths “had no signs of degradation.”]

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Photo: Dead fish float inside King Harbor. Credit: Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times; Second and third images: KTLA News.

Comments

[JandJ]

It's George Bush's fault........really though, the Bible prophesies of the last days are all starting to happen. Dead birds & fish, UFOs, Israel as a nation, Middle East unrest, anti-semitism, anti-Christianity, new age channeling, new agers loving the number 666, earthquakes, tsunamis & other radical weather occurances, etc.

[Daystrom]

Woe,woe,woe to the inhabitants of the Earth.

[emrliquidlife]

Tide last night was +4.7 at some 10:30 p.m. Then we swung to a low of +.7 at 5:37 a.m. So 4 foot swing could have been difficult for that many bait fish to get enough oxygen. But...why in the world would they stay in the harbor? Get out for goodness sakes. I think some thing or a scent attracted them in the harbor. How they died...I am just not on the low oxygen band wagon. I have seen the tide swing first hand. Plenty of movement on a 4 foot tide swing.

Someone think there are massive schools of gamefish out there?

[joe lawson]

Is everyone including the LA Times oblivious to the Navy Warfare testing that is taking place of the coasts of California, Oregon, and the Gulf.
They have admitted that millions of mammals and sea life will perish.
Welcome to the world we live in here in the U.S. of A.

[Roberto Pe]

woowwwwwwww is one of the apocalyptic plagues

[conniea]

It is time to think of Salvation of your Soul, Praise Jesus!!! Do you want to live in eternal happiness? Do you believe? Can't hurt to try! Do it NOW!!!

[Bec]

They need to test the fish, as well as, the water. Testing the fish would most likely determine the cause faster. As for the questions on whether these fish can be eaten by humans, the answer is no. NEVER eat animal life that has died for unknown reasons. The fish need to be scouped up like the last time and dispose of the fish to minimize the scum & smell quicker. Rosie posted a good link documenting that this has happened before, and in the same place. The red tide is the most likely suspect.

[jamie x]

I believe that all these fish have died due to a cause of a fall back of a test that was been conducted with out anyone knowledge. To the comment below it goes further then just global warming and at the end of the day we will never no.

These events that are happening around the world are chain in or linked. Over the last 2 weeks where I am from there has been more floods and just over at new zealand there has been earthquakes and just another one in the news as of yesterday in north Chile.

Something is changing in the earth or causing these animal to die. What will a happen next mass animals die in Africa or another country. I have noticed that a lot of things are happened towards mid month also.

[anon]

Hmm... you know, I saw tons of chem trail spraying up in LA on saturday, then down in Long Beach all day Sunday. Don't know if there is a connection, but, hmm.....

[Factchecker]

Did the Obamessiah finally perform a miracle from 5 loaves and 2 fish?

Sadly no...but maybe your global warming rockets that are crashing into the sea are polluting the environment, killing fishes, leaving a ginormous carbon footprint, and contributing to so-called climate change. Or maybe that rocket had more artificial intelligence than the climatologists who designed it and when it came to the conclusion global warming is junk science; it committed suicide.

[omega 3 fish oil]

What does one do with all of these fish? They have to be removed or else the entire harbor will start to smell. I am also concerned about the seagulls. What if the fish are infected in some way? What a mess!

[adam]

chem trails.

[Frank]

Happens all the time. Global warming? Give me a break

[Jolat]

Those are some big anchovies.
Look more like sardines or mackerel.
Either way, the end is near.

[Susystin]

Seems like man made catastrophe? (victor) Yes, could be man made and not from the so called, people's fault destroying the environment. Try our esteem leader, handlers and globalsits. Oh, we will save you!

[Paul H]

Fish Fry!

[Research Haarp]

H.A.A.R.P. testing, yet again, plain and simple.

[merlin]

earthquake warning

[agmines]

Not a good thing, and hope they find the cause and solution.

[It's All over]

It's welfare fish the birds are like we dont have to work another day in our lives

[Brent]

There are now reports that sometime in the early hours of the morning, Charlie Sheen was seen urinating from the dock.

[Gye Gye Blue]

In the days of Noah they were eating, drinking, and given in marriage, until the flood came and took them all away. No clue of there pending doom, just like now.

[Sheda]

Lawns and dog poop are more than likely the culprits behind this die-off: Excessive nitrogen (from lawn & garden fertilizers and left-over dog poop that washed down storm drains) + warm waters = phytoplankton (invertebrates) that deplete water of oxygen, thus starving marine life, e.g., sardines and anchovies. Another example of why Angelenos should plant native gardens and reduce our number of lawns, esp. cold-weather grasses that require fertilizers and loads of water; and, why we all need to pick up after Fido.

[bfree]

Some of you folks are trying so hard to make this a them vs us political issue.

BP? Different ocean. No local spills that I know of, and you know the press would love even a hint of oil company problems. But what the hell, easy target.

Global warming? Our local waters are unseasonably cold this year. Ask any fisherman. How again could fish die of global warming here?

DDT off Palos Verdes? Come on! How many decades since we stopped using DDT? Also, prevailing current is north to south. Any damage happens south of the source.

Acid rain? This isn't Youngstown, Ohio folks. C'mon.

Gotta blame someone??

Fish die-offs have been happening since the beginning of time. Ususally oxygen depletion. Give it a rest, wingnuts.

[Robert Latchford]

So what caused the Oxygen Depletion?
Interesting to see if this is an isolated case or more widespread in other parts of the US coast.