Dead Fish

Sun worshipers heading to the beaches in Ocean City this weekend can expect to find fewer dead fish than early this week, when thousands washed ashore after a massive fish kill. Since Tuesday, public works crews driving backhoes have been hauling away truckloads of rotting Atlantic croakers killed by a sudden change in water temperatures. The last of the fish are expected to wash ashore over the next few days, according to officials with the Maryland Department of the Environment. Roughly a million of the pinkish croakers - ranging from 6 inches to 2 feet long - started landing on beaches from Delaware to Virginia on Saturday.

The source of the sewer smell many noticed in Baltimore harbor this week remains a mystery, as city officials say an extensive search has found no evidence of a sewage spill or overflow, despite high bacteria levels in water samples taken by an environmental group. Tina Meyers, the Harbor Waterkeeper , said that water samples taken Tuesday by Blue Water Baltimore , the local watershed watchdog of which she is a part, found elevated bacteria levels in two places in the harbor - in front of Pier 6 and in the deep shipping channel by the Domino sugar refinery.

Thousands of dead fish, along with decomposing algae, are causing a stench to emanate from the Inner Harbor and the waters off Canton, and a state official said yesterday that it might take at least a week to clear. The stink - and the dead fish - are the result of an algae bloom, or a "brown tide." State environmental officials have been investigating the fish kill since Sunday. The nutrient-rich harbor had a recent large bloom of microscopic algae that turned the water rust brown, said Charles Poukish, environmental program manager for Maryland Department of the Environment.

On the wave of unwanted publicity over unruly youths downtown, owners of businesses around the Inner Harbor were probably none too thrilled to have the smell of dead fish wafting through the air last weekend. Naturally, they brushed it off as having no impact on tourism - but you can bet that the odor was about as welcome as another Pat McDonough press conference. The likely culprit was mahogany tide, an algae that feeds on excess nutrients. This creates huge blooms that eventually die, rot and suck the oxygen out of the water, leaving other forms of aquatic life to suffocate.

Something's rotten on the Baltimore area waterfront. Fish are washing ashore by the thousands in a mass die-off that officials say appears to be caused by a weather-driven worsening of the pollution that chronically plagues the Chesapeake Bay. State investigators expanded their probe Wednesday into what they believe are algae-related fish kills in Marley, Furnace and Curtis creeks in Glen Burnie, raising the estimated death toll there tenfold, while...

State officials say they are investigating a "very large" fish kill in the Chesapeake Bay, but suspect cold temperatures killed them, rather than any water-quality problems. An estimated 2 million fish have been reported dead from the Bay Bridge south to Tangier Sound, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment, which investigates fish kills. The dead fish are primarily adult spot, with some juvenile croakers. Agency spokeswoman Dawn Stoltzfus said bay water quality appears acceptable, and biologists believe "cold-water stress" the likely cause of the fish kill.

The algae blooms fouling Baltimore area waters apparently have claimed more victims, as more dead fish have been spotted floating in the Inner Harbor and washing ashore at Fort McHenry just south of downtown. Investigators with the Maryland Department of the Environment , who saw upwards of 100,00 dead fish in creeks south of the city Wednesday and hundreds more in Dundalk, confirmed the Inner Harbor die-off today. MDE spokesman Jay Apperson said the harbor's mahogany colored water fit the same recipe for a fish kill.  He offered no estimate of how many dead fish there were, noting that the city's trash-skimming boats were scooping them up, "but as soon as they go by, there's more.

An algae bloom appears to be the culprit behind dead fish found floating in the Inner Harbor yesterday morning, according to state environmental investigators. The fish kill - the second in the harbor in two months attributed to an algae bloom - was first reported by residents who complained about a stench Monday night. Most of the fish appeared to be scattered on the south side of the harbor near the marina and Rash Field. There were other fish closer to the Constellation, including some that washed up onto the concrete barrier.

On the wave of unwanted publicity over unruly youths downtown, owners of businesses around the Inner Harbor were probably none too thrilled to have the smell of dead fish wafting through the air last weekend. Naturally, they brushed it off as having no impact on tourism - but you can bet that the odor was about as welcome as another Pat McDonough press conference. The likely culprit was mahogany tide, an algae that feeds on excess nutrients. This creates huge blooms that eventually die, rot and suck the oxygen out of the water, leaving other forms of aquatic life to suffocate.

Dead fish, foliage horridOn a recent stroll around the lake at Centennial Park, I was disappointed to see evidence of the heavy use of weedkiller.One could hardly walk 10 feet without noticing large clumps of brown vegetation along the pathway.Not only were the skeletons of large weeds visually unappealing, but the view was psychologically disturbing.I was wheeling my 17-month-old daughter along this pathway of chemicals and wondering if it was safe for her to be there.It was even more disturbing when I looked down in the water and saw dozens of dead fish rotting by the shore.

Dead fish continued to surface Tuesday in Baltimore-area waters, though the conditions that scientists believe have been causing the weeklong die-off may be moderating slightly. State investigators estimated there were 10,000 fish floating in Stoney Creek in northern Anne Arundel County and in its tributaries, Back Cove, Beehive Cove and Nabbs Creek, according to Samantha Kappalman, spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of the Environment. She emailed that "several thousand," mostly menhaden, were bunched up by the Fort Smallwood Road bridge.

A powerful stench was in the air Saturday at the Inner Harbor as 12-year-olds Alison Chase and Marissa Westerbeke hunched over the water's edge, studying tiny crabs floating to the surface. The girls were in town from Connecticut for a relaxing annual vacation with Alison's family, but the pervasive smell of dead fish and rotting plant matter — caused by a massive algae bloom — had them totally grossed out. "It's, like, sad and disgusting," said Marissa. "It's gross.

The algae blooms fouling Baltimore area waters apparently have claimed more victims, as more dead fish have been spotted floating in the Inner Harbor and washing ashore at Fort McHenry just south of downtown. Investigators with the Maryland Department of the Environment , who saw upwards of 100,00 dead fish in creeks south of the city Wednesday and hundreds more in Dundalk, confirmed the Inner Harbor die-off today. MDE spokesman Jay Apperson said the harbor's mahogany colored water fit the same recipe for a fish kill.  He offered no estimate of how many dead fish there were, noting that the city's trash-skimming boats were scooping them up, "but as soon as they go by, there's more.

Something's rotten on the Baltimore area waterfront. Fish are washing ashore by the thousands in a mass die-off that officials say appears to be caused by a weather-driven worsening of the pollution that chronically plagues the Chesapeake Bay. State investigators expanded their probe Wednesday into what they believe are algae-related fish kills in Marley, Furnace and Curtis creeks in Glen Burnie, raising the estimated death toll there tenfold, while...

State officials are investigating what killed thousands of fish in Marley and Furnace creeks in northern Anne Arundel County, but suspect they suffocated after an algae bloom sucked the oxygen out of the water, a Maryland Department of the Environment spokesman said Tuesday. Investigators saw an estimated 6,000 dead and apparently dying fish Monday, mostly in Marley Creek but some as well in adjoining Furnace Creek, said MDE spokesman Jay Apperson. There were at least nine different species of fish involved, including Atlantic menhaden, silversides, silvery minnows and sunfish, he said.

Snakeheads, which were illegally introduced into the Potomac River as far back as 2004, will continue to have a price on their nasty-looking heads. For the second straight year, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources will be offering prize money as part of a yearlong contest to kill the predators. The top prize is a $200 gift card from Bass Pro Shops. Other prizes include a Maryland State Passport that gives anglers and others free entry to state parks and boat launches as well as discounted boat rentals.

At least 3,000 fish have recently died in Baltimore's harbor, likely as a result of an algae bloom that sent a foul odor into surrounding neighborhoods, a Maryland Department of the Environment spokeswoman said Tuesday. The dead fish, primarily menhaden, were mostly congregated around the Domino Sugar plant in Locust Point, MDE spokeswoman Dawn Stoltzfus said. Scientists responding to reports of brown water and a bad smell Monday night suspect a seasonal algae bloom prompted oxygen levels in the water to drop, according to Stoltzfus.

The raven, a subspecies of the crow family, is an intelligent, fearless bird whose crafty nature earned it a place in Native American mythology. Of course, it also feeds on dead fish and road kill. Either way, it seems to fit the NFL's bill as an animal that reflects the aggressive, cunning, image of the sport. Some other facts about ravens:Size: About 2 feet in length, with a wing spread of 4 feet.Color: Plumage, bill and feet are black; feathers have a purple luster.Diet: Eats all kind of animals -- even swooping in on weakened ewes or lambs (or Rams?

When the term "dead fish" became a top Google search Wednesday, soaring past the likes of Lindsay Lohan and leaving Justin Bieber in its scaly wake, it looked as if the end were near. That's what everyone was saying, anyway. After millions of tiny fish went belly up in the Chesapeake Bay this week, the populace immediately dismissed the official scientific explanation (the water was just too darn cold). What made more sense, they reasoned? The approaching apocalypse. Of course.

It could be two weeks before state officials know for certain what killed an estimated 2 million fish in the Chesapeake Bay. Or, they may never find out the exact cause. Biologists with the Maryland Department of the Environment sent tissue samples from the fish, mostly juvenile spot 3- to 6-inches long, to state labs to pinpoint the reason they died. But for now, they believe a rapid drop in temperature in December caused cold-water stress, said MDE spokeswoman Dawn Stoltzfus.