Thousands of fish have died along the Potomac River in Piney Point, Maryland, due to what is believed to be heat-related causes.
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) believes that the fish – mostly alewives with some rockfish – succumbed to a lack of oxygen in the river, as a result of the unusually high temperatures that have plagued much of the United States this summer. Fish littered the beaches of a private stretch of the river that extended more than a mile.
According to somdnews.com, it is also possible that a red tide bloom contributed to the depletion of the water’s oxygen, however that theory has not been officially confirmed by the state.
The MDE urges citizens to call the fish kill hotline at 800-285-8195 when excessive amounts of dead fish are discovered.
post a comment