Millions of Dead Fish near Los Angeles before the M.9 JAPAN - MARCH 8 / MORE THAN 800 TONS ON MAY 29 ON PHILIPPINES. Think About It.

The massive fish deaths started late last week but have eased. Officials have
banned the sale of the rotting fish, which are being buried by the truckload in Talisay and four other towns in Batangas province, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources official Rose del Mundo said Sunday.The deaths are unrelated to recent signs of restiveness in Taal volcano, which is surrounded by the lake where many villagers have grown milkfish and tilapia _ staple food for many Filipinos, officials said. The volcano and lake are a popular tourist draw.

Talisay agricultural officer Zenaida Mendoza said an initial investigation showed the deaths may have been caused by the temperature change as the rainy season set in last week after a scorching summer, which also depleted the lake's oxygen levels.


Schools of fish were seen swimming in circles before they floated dead to the surface in huge numbers. The deaths have occurred in the past at summer's end but in much smaller numbers, Mendoza said.

Some Taal lake areas turned white due to the massive numbers of dead milk-colored fish. Workers covered their noses with their hands or clothing Sunday as they scooped up the rotting fish and placed them into sacks.

"Many were sad and devastated because they invested a lot in these fish cages," Talisay Mayor Zenaida Mendoza told The Associated Press by telephone.

More than 400 tons of milkfish have died in Talisay alone since Friday in 84 out of about 1,000 fish pens _ lake areas about half the size of a basketball court which are fenced off by bamboo poles and nets. Damage has been estimated at $770,000 (33 million pesos), Mendoza said. About 400 tons more have died in the other

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Images from news links listed below

Redondo Beach California, Kings Harbor, millions of dead Anchovies (and Sardines which are nearly identical) were discovered during the morning of March 8 clogging parts of the harbor. It is literally a ‘Sea of Sardines’ many feet thick, not just on the surface, but also 1 to 2 feet thick on the bottom.

Some residents are saying that in all their life they’ve never seen such a dramatic fish kill as this. Others are wondering if the Anchovies / Sardines are like the canary in the coal mine and perhaps an undersea seafloor release of sulfur dioxide or methane may have killed them and could be a sign of an impending earthquake. All speculation of course.

One ‘official’ explanation so far is that “they were trying to flee the red tide and they all suffocated”. Another is that the Anchovies were all blown into the harbor last night during excessive winds, and all suffocated from low oxygen levels.

So far there have been no reports at all of a red tide in the area, and are usually quite visible when they occur. Additionally, a red tide event would logically effect more than just a single variety of fish, in this case Anchovies (Sardines), and no other significant observations have been reported yet. The LA Times did mention Mackerel as well as the Anchovies and Sardines, but as far as the eye can see in the images, it’s all Anchovies and Sardines.

Some wonder why we don’t see tremendous flocks of seabirds or gulls in the photo images, taking natural advantage of an enormous free meal(s).

In any event, it is quite a spectacle, and time will tell if this is a case of ‘bad weather’, ‘red tide’, or something else…

Got your earthquake kit ready?

Links to Anchovy Fish Kill articles
(LA Times) Millions of dead fish at King Harbor in Redondo Beach
(KTLA) Millions of Dead Fish Wash Up in Redondo Beach
(DailyBreeze) Billions of dead fish invade Redondo’s King Harbor

Images from news links listed in this post

Images from news links listed in this post

Images from news links listed in this post