http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/02/hundreds-of-dead-birds-on-i-95...

Hundreds of dead birds on I-95 in Laurel

They were common Starlings, and while there were a few in the grass and on the shoulders of the highway, the vast majority landed right on the travel lanes.

“We were just kind of curious about running them over and getting them stuck in your tires and all that nastiness,” says Tammy Johnson.

Traffic backed up as drivers slowed down out of concern for the birds and their cars.

A highway crew swept and shoveled what they could while the drivers crept by scratching their heads. State biologists say they've also seen Starlings which tend to fly in large tight flocks crash into the sides of tractor trailers.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources biologist Peter Bedel believes the Starlings flew into a truck. He does not suspect any disease and is sending samples to a lab just in case

Everyone agrees - its unusual.

“I travel this all the time and have never seen anything like that before,” says Ray Wheltle.

Thanks, Starr.  Despite the ridiculous "hundreds of birds flew into a truck" excuse, long-time residents in the Washington DC area are fully aware this has never happened before, despite the newscaster's claim that it happens "every couple years or so".

Also reported on WTOP.com, where an even flimsier excuse is offered: the birds flew into power lines.

"Hundreds of dead birds blocked traffic for hours Wednesday afternoon on Interstate 95 in Laurel."

Source

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/17-peacocks-found-dead-i...

17 peacocks found dead in Rajasthan

PTI | 05:02 PM,Feb 17,2012

Kota (Raj), Feb 17 (PTI) Seventeen peacocks were today found dead at an agricultural field in Alod village of Modak range in the district here, officials said today. "The birds are suspected to have been killed last night by giving them food laced with poison but the real cause of death would be confirmed only after the postmortem report," Kota District Forest Officer N Vijay said. The carcasses of the national birds were recovered from an agricultural field of the village this morning. As many as two hundreds national birds have been found dead in Talera, Dablana, Hattipura villages of Bundi district and in the villages of Jhalawar, Baran districts of Hadoutti region in recent months. On last Sunday carcasses of six peacocks were found in Bohait village of Baran district. Bundi District Forest Officer expressed concern over the killing of national bird in the region and said awareness generation campaigns aiming at educating the villagers and school children are being held in the district. While, a wildlife activist and President of Mukundera Wildlife and Environment Society, Kota, Tapeshwar Singh said killing of peacocks in Hadoutti region is the result of superstition among tribes like Mongiya, Kangar and Bheel as they believe eating of peacock meat is energetic and powerful. He also said awareness generation among these villagers is the demand of time but alleged that no support is extended by the government and forest department.

http://ramumine.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/dead-fish-in-markham-river/

Dead fish in Markham River

Frank Rai and Oseah Philemon 

LABU people living near the Markham Bridge outside Lae are demanding K10 million compensation from mining company Morobe Mining Joint Venture (MMJV) for loss of fish and other food sources from the Markham River.

They are also demanding that the company provide all affected people in area with food supplies as the pollution in the Markham River has now destroyed their only means of growing food along the banks of the river as well the fish from the river.

They have drawn up a petition as the result of the people finding dead fish including eels, cat fish and prawns floating on the surface of the Markham River yesterday. The villagers are using that to support their claim for compensation from the mine.

However, despite the dead fish being found and the demands of the Labu people against MMJV, no official scientific tests have yet been done to determine the actual cause of the deaths or the source from which any poisonous chemicals may have emanated resulting in the fish and prawns being killed.

The Labu people drew up a petition which their representatives will present to representatives of MMJV and the Morobe Provincial Government in Lae today. In the petition the Labu people are also demanding that the company provides water tanks and build them water supplies to give them fresh water.

The petition also calls for resettlement of people living near the banks of the Markham River who are affected by pollution as well as royalty payments to the Labu people who are affected by the mine.

Yesterday afternoon a group of noisy Labu people met with an environmental team from MMJV near the Markham Bridge where they demanded immediate help from the company and the Morobe Provincial Government.

Speakers also accused Morobe Governor Luther Wenge of failing to act on a petition they gave him demanding help for the Labu people affected by the mine.

The Markham Bridge community collected dead fish and eels among others and heaped them on drums they used to block the bridge to stop MMJV vehicles passing through. The road block was still being manned last night.

Meanwhile at Labu-Buttu village on the mouth of the Markham River, Councilor Jeffrey Tipi reported that dead fish have also been picked up at the mouth of the river and along the Labu-Buttu coastline.

Councilor Tipi called a meeting of the villagers last night to discuss the problem and for a delegation of community leaders to take the matter to the Morobe Provincial Government today. Councilor Titpi expressed grave concern about the matter saying the livelihood of the Labu people was now serious jeopardy.

“Our only fishing ground is around the mouth of the Markham River, the Labu lakes and the waters of the Huon Gulf not far from Lae.

“If the fish are dead because of poisoning then our entire livelihood is now in grave danger,” Councilor Tipi said.

“I urge the Morobe Provincial Government and the national government to immediately investigate this matter. It is a very serious environmental issue.”  continues...

http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-OTC-17-peacocks-found-dead-in-...

www.dailybhaskar.com/2012/02/18/images/peacocksdead_f.jpg" alt="" class="mr10" height="224" width="288"/>

Thousands of Dead Fish Found off Dubai Coastline

"It's as though they just suddenly fell over dead," Chandler said. "One of the horses still had hay in its mouth."

Tennessee Horse Deaths Puzzle Authorities

Tennessee law enforcement authorities are hoping to solve the mystery surrounding the sudden deaths of seven horses in Maury County earlier this month.

Det. Terry Chandler said the Maury County Sheriff's Department was alerted to the deaths on Feb. 1 after the horses' owner discovered the six mares and one stallion dead in their pasture. Three other horses residing on the property were unharmed, Chandler said.

Chandler said there was no indication that the horses struggled or attempted to flee an assailant before death. No wounds or other injuries were found on the animals' carcasses.

"It's as though they just suddenly fell over dead," Chandler said. "One of the horses still had hay in its mouth."

Initially authorities suspected someone had poisoned the horses or that the animals had ingested a poisonous substance prior to their deaths. However, necropsies performed in the field and at the Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville did not substantiate that theory, Chandler said.

"All the toxicology reports came back negative," Chandler said. "The necropsy report from the Ellington Agricultural Center said the cause of death is not apparent."

Necropsies did reveal the presence of bot fly larvae in the horses' stomachs, indicating the animals had not received deforming medications for years. Meanwhile, tests on hay samples drawn from the animal's food supply are under way.

"Could (lack of deforming) have been a factor, or could there have been mold or some poisonous plant material in the horses' hay?" Chandler asked.

Carey A. Williams, PhD, associate extension specialist and associate professor at Rutgers University's Department of Animal Sciences, said the presence of bots in the horses' stomachs could harm the horses, but physiological damage caused by the parasites would have been apparent in necropsy.

"At the necropsy they would have seen ulceration and bruising in the horses' stomachs," Carey said.

Williams speculates that it is more likely that the animals ingested some sort of toxic plant or other material in the pasture or in their hay and grain supplies.

"For example, Johnsongrass hay is toxic to horses because it contains cyanide," she said. "Also, there could have been other weeds in the horses' hay or in their pastures or in grain that has not been mixed properly that even in small amounts could be toxic over time."

Understanding Equine Medications is your A-Z guide to learning more about generic and brand-name pharmaceuticals, possible side effects and precautions, and proper dosage.

Evidence of those toxins might not have been easily detected during necropsy if the amount of the material present at the time of the procedure was very small, or if the material had moved completely out of the animals' digestive systems prior to the postmortem procedure, she said.

While the investigation into the Maury County horse deaths continues, Chandler has learned that other similar deaths are under investigation in Dixon County, Tenn. He hopes the combined investigations will generate more leads that might reveal the causes of the puzzling deaths.

"We just don't know what would cause horses to die suddenly like this," Chandler said. "I'll take help from anybody who can help us solve this."

Mystery Grows As More Livestock Dies In Maury County -

MAURY COUNTY, Tenn. -- Horses are dying and now cattle as well and detectives in Maury County have been at a loss to explain how or why it is happening.

First, seven seemingly healthy horses turned up dead last week at a Hampshire farm in Maury County.  The state performed a necropsy and released the results.

"They ruled that it's undetermined. The cause of death cannot be determined at this time. It is a mystery. We don't know what happened," said Detective Terry Chandler with the Maury County Sheriff's Department.

Now Detective Chandler is investigating more deaths: Two dead cows at a farm across from the one where the seven horses were found. And he's consulting with police looking into more mysterious horse deaths in Dickson and Giles county.

Chandler said there is no evidence anyone is intentionally harming the animals.

He said they have not ruled out the possibility the livestock died from eating contaminated hay or a poison plant.  It's possible the toxins were not detected by the state testing.

http://www.odt.co.nz/regions/central-otago/199034/sixty-gulls-disco...

Sixty gulls discovered dead

A significant number of endangered native black-billed gulls have been found dead on Grover's Island, a nesting spot near Roxburgh, concerning the Department of Conservation (Doc).

Doc community relations ranger Jacob Dexter said at least 60 bird carcasses, mostly of young birds, had been found on the island and he was unsure what the cause of death had been.

He had checked the bodies for "predation wounds" and ruled out any kind of cat, dog or stoat attack. He had also contacted the Otago Regional Council to check for notified poison drops, but said none had occurred.

Six of the dead birds were sent to Massey University for autopsies.

Preliminary results were expected next week and more detailed results such as toxicology reports were expected in two or three weeks.

He said although there was a chance they would never find the cause of death, he had his fingers crossed and hoped it was something that could be prevented.

Due to the rate of decomposition, he thought the birds had died in December or January and he had since spoken to a few people who said they had seen sick and dying birds during those months.

He found out about the deaths when a member of the public holidaying in the area came across them and telephoned him earlier this week.

The birds are listed as nationally endangered, but Mr Dexter said he did not know how many lived in the colony breeding on that particular island.

He estimated the entire black-billed gull population to be in the thousands, but that was declining.

The birds were "generally restricted to the lower half of the South Island", he said.

The colony had returned to the coast for winter, as had the colony of black-fronted terns which also breed on Grover's Island, but he was unaware of any dead birds turning up on the coast.

The incident has been reported to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Thousands of Fish Die at Oxygen Short Angling Spot
February 27, 2012

"An angling club has been left devastated after thousands of fish have died at Pennytown Ponds in the space of a week."

Seems to be a gag order on this story already.  Difficult to find additional info.

http://www.busseltonmail.com.au/news/local/news/general/hundreds-of...

HUNDREDS of fish have again died at Wonnerup, this time near the Vasse floodgates.

It has become a perennial problem. The Mail reported large scale deaths in a similar spot 15 years ago, but the problem persists.

Cr Gordon Bleechmore, who lives on the water near the floodgates and reported the latest deaths to the Mail, said it was time something was done to stop the deaths.

“It’s time for the powers to be, namely the Department of Water, primarily the lead agency that manages the inland river and water systems, to take a hard look at their current policies because they aren’t working in terms of how they manage the rivers and water systems.

“They need to reassess what they are doing and change their management policies to adapt to the change in the ecology and the waterways to address the problems that are confronting us here today, the fish kills.

“This is not a one-off. This is the second time in as many months this year we’ve seen something like this and it seems to be a common occurrence every year.

“The city is currently looking at the Lower Vasse River and how they can address some of the water issue problems there and probably a lot of those issues can be transferred down to this part of the Vasse River as well.

“The most likely cause of the deaths is the lack of oxygen. It’s a water quality issue. The oxygen levels get very low at this time of the year when the water levels are low and the water is warm the fish just can’t live in that sort of environment.”

The Department of Water has confirmed Cr Bleechmore’s assumption and said the dead fish were Western Hardyhead, which was one of the most common species of fish in South West rivers and estuaries.

“This species is known to be susceptible to low dissolved oxygen levels,” the department’s district manager Dr Kath Lynch said.

“Due to the timing of the incident report, no fish health samples could be collected and used for pathology tests.

“Water quality sampling undertaken on February 27 (Monday) showed the water quality was clear with no visible algal blooms and sufficient dissolved oxygen levels.

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/fish/fish-die-due-changing-temperatures/...

Fish die due to changing temperatures

THE AGRICULTURE Ministry has fished out around 800kg of dead fish from the Athalassa lake in Nicosia, believed to have died ‘en masse’ due to major fluctuations in the water’s temperature. 

Head of the ministry’s Fisheries Department Loizos Loizides told yesterday’s Phileleftheros that the fish, belonged to the Tilapia species and were first discovered dead last Wednesday. Within six days, the department fished out around 800kg of the dead fish from the lake. 

According to Loizides, a similar mass killing occurred around two years ago in the same lake. He put the carnage down to large fluctuations in temperature which causes a reduction of oxygen levels in the water. The large population of tilapia in the lake combined with reduced oxygen levels created conditions unsuitable for their survival, he said.  Story continued:

Thousands of Man-of-War Wash Up on South Padre Island

March 3rd, 2012

As Spring Break approaches, many college students have set their sights on spending the week at the beach, but they may be surprised at what they find there.

On the sands of the north end of South Padre Island in Texas, thousands of jellyfishlike ocean dwellers were seen washed ashore this weekend.

They have been identified as the Portuguese Man-of-War, a poisonous siphonophore....

....

Treviño says he does not expect it to affect tourism to South Padre as it was a rare incident and is extremely uncommon in such large numbers.

"Everyone I've spoken with has never really seen anything like this," he said.

FULL STORY

Thousands of Fish Die in Pelican River (Orr, MN)

Thousands of fish, including many game fish, have died in a fish kill on the Pelican River near Orr, said Kevin Peterson, Department of Natural Resources area fisheries supervisor at International Falls.

“It was a substantial fish kill. It’s an unfortunate loss of our fisheries resource,” Peterson said.

The kill, probably caused by low oxygen levels in the water, occurred in an approximately 2-mile stretch of the Pelican River from the dam at St. Louis County Highway 23 and downstream past U.S. Highway 53, Peterson said. The fish kill was first reported Thursday, Peterson said. A fisheries crew visited the site on Monday and traveled the river by canoe to assess the extent of the kill.

“They saw a lot of northern pike, one smallmouth bass, lots and lots and lots of black crappies — probably thousands from 3 inches and up,”

Peterson said. “They saw some larger bluegills up to 10 inches, lots of yellow perch and bullheads and suckers.”

Tom Burri, assistant area fisheries supervisor at International Falls, was part of the crew that checked out the kill.

“Definitely, there were thousands of crappies and hundreds and hundreds of pike,” Burri said.

No dead walleyes were observed, Peterson said.

While lots of anglers fish nearby Pelican Lake, fishing pressure is light on the Pelican River itself, Peterson said.

Low oxygen levels in the river probably were responsible for the kill, which is called “winterkill” by fisheries biologists, Peterson said. Last fall’s low water levels, the result of a six-month drought, probably exacerbated the low oxygen levels, Peterson said. Many streams and lakes were at low levels going into the winter.

“If there’s a small amount of water, it has a small amount of oxygen to sustain the fish through the winter,” he said.

Another fish kill involving mostly bullheads and suckers occurred on a portion of the Rat Root River, which feeds Black Bay of Rainy Lake, Peterson said.

The kill probably happened when the river was still ice-covered, he said.

“We’ve been noticing it (the fish kill) for the past two weeks,” said Kathie Holman of Orr.

Many of the dead fish were found frozen in the ice. Since then, the ice has gone out. Once a body of water is no longer ice-covered, its oxygen levels increase. In addition, runoff from snowmelt has brought oxygenated water into the river, he said.

Peterson said he did not investigate the incident last week when it was first reported because the spring snowmelt had begun.

“Once snowmelt begins, you’ve passed the point of minimum oxygen in the water,” Peterson said.

He said the fishery will be affected in the short term but will recover.

“The fish that are living there are adapted to these occasional low oxygen levels,” Peterson said. They’re good at coming back and repopulating the system.”

March 21, Singapore

Thousands of dead fish seen at Pasir Ris riverbank

Residents living near Sungei Api Api in Pasir Ris were hit by a stinker, after thousands of small dead fish were washed up onto the shore.

The dead fish were first spotted at the mouth of the river and along the beach at Pasir Ris on Tuesday morning.

National water agency PUB was informed of the spectacle.

"(The fish) were likely to have been washed in by the tide, and some of them were deposited on the river bed of Sungei Api Api. The contractors are currently clearing the dead fishes," said PUB.

Some residents said they detected a fishy smell around 3pm.

One resident said: "I felt like I was in a wet market."

Many were surprised, saying it was the first time they have seen such an incident. ....

Source

This mysterious sea creature is actually a sturgeon. Click photo for more images. (Photo: Facebook)

A bizarre creature that washed ashore last week in Folly Beach, S.C., sparked speculation in the area and on the Internet that a dead sea monster might have been discovered.

The tan-brown animal with greenish patches was strange enough, but what really baffled beachgoers was its massive size and the dinosaur-like bony plates on its sides. It's not clear just how long it was, but photos suggest it exceeded 10 feet.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/strange-sea-creature-identifie...

Hundreds of Dead Fish in St Leonards (NSW Australia)

More than 100 dead fish washed up on a beach at St Leonards yesterday prompting an investigation by authorities.

Residents walking on the beach were shocked to find scores of stingrays as well as flathead, whiting, snapper, flounder and other dead fish on a 100m stretch of beach near the Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve yesterday morning.

"I walk along here all the time and I've never seen anything like it," said Graeme Gill.

Fellow St Leonards resident Peter Dowling said he had walked his dog along the beach regularly in the past eight years and never seen so many dead fish.

"When you see such a large number of dead fish and such a wide variety of fish it makes you wonder if there's something toxic in the water," he said.

Sisters Pauline and Jen Hardy agreed the incident was unprecedented in the area.

"We walk our dogs along here about two or three times a week, it's normally a fabulous spot, but our dogs definitely won't be going in the water," Pauline said.

An EPA spokesperson said the authority would comment on the matter once it had received the report from the DPI.

Fish Kill on the Indo-Australian Plate border in India -

"Thousands of dead fish were today found floating in Ganga river at Shukratal (India). The locals informed the administration after seeing thousands of fish floating in the river water, officials said. The reason behind the incident was not yet known and water sample had been sent to experts."  Source

Hundreds of Fish Die In Fort Worth, Texas (April 7) -
Hundreds of fish have mysteriously perished at Lake Hollow in Eastern Fort Worth.

Frustrated homeowners in Fort Worth’s Meadowbrook hills are wondering what’s killing hundreds of fish in their backyard pond.

Neighbors started to notice the dead fish after Tuesday’s storms.

The pond known as Lake Hollow was once a relaxing escape for Michael Anderson and other homeowners who live in Meadowbrook Hills.

“And we just sit down in the evenings on the landing and just revel in the beauty,” said Anderson.

An unknown problem is bringing the anxiety of a wasteland.

“Obviously this lake is going to turn into a health hazard the way things are going,’ said Anderson.

Hundreds of dead fish including perch and catfish floated to the top of the pond.

Neighbors immediately called the city for help.

Workers ruled out a sewage leak and are investigating what else could have caused this including testing water samples.

City workers worked Friday and Saturday to clear the dead fish.

Neighbors think the problem might be coming from the creek the city created decades ago for runoff.

After seeing an oil-like slick, neighbors are curious if someone else independently illegally dumped material.

“We’re two miles out of downtown there’s not that many areas like this in the inner city and you always like to protect it,” said neighbor Stephen Barr.

The worry has ruined Anderson’s Easter plans. 25 children were scheduled to fish and paddle boat at the lake. Now those plans are canceled out of safety concerns.

“And we can’t let them out here,” said Anderson

March 28: UK -

At least 1,000 dead fish have been pulled from a lake in Bexleyheath but no one knows what is killing them.

The Environment Agency say they have tested the water in Danson Lake and it is clean - so it is believed the fish are dying from a mystery disease.

Residents met to discuss the mystery of the dead fish left to rot in Danson Lake.

The Environment Agency and Bexley Council are investigating and said more tests on the water and the fish will be carried out.

Source

Dead fish litter ocean floor

http://www.iol.co.za/mercury/dead-fish-litter-ocean-floor-1.1274988

Thousands of Dead Fish in Hazira, India (April 15)

Thousands of dead fish were found in a confined (60 hectare) pond.  Company officials called it a rare occurrence and have started investigation to find the actual cause of death of the marine life.

Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) officials attribute the deaths in large number to variations in the dissolved oxygen demand content in the water body .

Large quantity of a local saline water variety of fish called as Boi fish were found floating on the water body created by KRIBHCO and covered from all the sides by a wall in nearly two sq km area.

"Generally this pond is at an end and no one is allowed to venture in. However some locals would have gone there unauthorized with intention of fishing," deputy general manager, HR at KRIBHCO, N K Sahoo said.

"We have not seen any such incident in last 30 years and this one might have occurred as algae grown in the water body would have brought the dissolved oxygen content low for the survival of this variety of fish. However we are checking what exactly caused the death," he added.

It is a known fact that in certain areas people use chlorine or other pesticides to kill fishes. Even in this case, initially over dose of released ammonia was suspected to be the cause of death by some local villagers.

However that argument was put to rest by local officer of GPCB Anil Patel. He said, "Primary investigations reveals two possible causes. One is heavy growth of algae, which disturbs the dissolved oxygen content and second is high rate of evaporation of water that might have led to a situation where this variety of fish did not get enough liquid oxygen necessary for their survival."

"We have taken the samples and have sent them for examination. Once all the tests are conducted, we will know the exact cause of their death," he said.

What is even more surprising is the fact of the only two species of fishes found in this water, only the Boi fishes died. The other specie called the sting fish were not affected.

The fishes were found dead on April 15 and 16.

Thousands of Fish Die in Rocky River in Ohio - (April 22)

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/04/thousands_of_fish_...

Tens of thousands of fish of all sizes and species have died in the East Branch of the Rocky River in the Cleveland Metroparks since Sunday afternoon, bringing crews from several state agencies to investigate for toxic pollutants, test river waters and document the range of the fish kill.

The dead and dying fish were first reported on Sunday afternoon by a fisherman, who called 1-800-POACHER, a Division of Wildlife hot line. Wildlife officials contacted the Cleveland Metroparks, who brought in the Ohio EPA and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.

The dead fish have sunk to the bottom of the river, said Division of Wildlife officer Randy White, making it difficult to assess the extent of the fish kill.

"The range of the fish kill was unbelievable, affecting all types of fish," said aquatic biologist Mike Durkalec of the Cleveland Metroparks, who surveyed the affected areas Rocky River to see if any species of fish survived. Durkalec's list included bass, darters, a wide variety of minnows, rainbow trout and white suckers.

"We still have no idea what caused it," said Durkalec. "We're checking out every possibility."

The park agency has been stocking large numbers of rainbow trout in the stretch of the river, but canceled a trout stocking scheduled for today. It will divert the 650 pounds of rainbow trout to Wallace Lake.

The fish kill began in an area near the Cleveland Metroparks toboggan run in the Mill Stream Run Reservation. Fish were soon dying in a three-mile stretch of river between the Bonnie Park Area and Wallace Lake in Berea. Ohio EPA officials reportedly found a few dead steelhead trout where the East Branch joins the Rocky River. The Rocky River is a noted steelhead trout stream, with the lake-run steelhead providing excellent fishing during the cold-weather months.

Thousands Of Dead Fish in Lake Elsinore, California (April 27) -

The state Department of Fish and Game confirmed Friday that there is a massive fish kill in Lake Elsinore, numbering the dead Threadfin Shad in the "thousands."  Preliminary reports indicate a dissolved oxygen issue.

Posted by Jay Lovelady:

Dead Pelicans in Peru

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/30/world/americas/peru-pelican-deaths/in...

"........When you have something this large, my gut would tell me that there's something traumatic that happened," Sue Rocca, a marine biologist with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, told ..........."

Hundreds of Dead Fish Litter Shores of Lake Houston (Texas) - May 3

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8647254

Dead fish are washing up along the shores of Lake Houston, and people who live nearby say they've never seen or smelled anything like it.

The dead fish are appearing mainly on the north side of the lake. People who have lived on the lake for some time say they've never seen anything like it before and now the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the City of Houston are monitoring the situation.

This boat dock on the western shore of Lake Houston, Atascocita, is a sanctuary for Bette Kish and her husband. They've lived here for 18 years. But in almost two decades came a sight she's never seen before.

"I came out here and saw these fish floating. I mean there were a lot of fish floating. And I thought I don't know what this could be," said Kish.

She wasn't the only one alarmed. Just north of her neighborhood, another resident in Royal Shores of Kingwood also snapped these pictures earlier this week. A few snapshots show about a hundred dead fish floating along the banks.

Lake Houston is the primary source of drinking water for the Bayou City, another reason Kish was concerned.

"Everywhere I looked, I was seeing these floating fish and I thought, well I couldn't imagine what this could be and I thought maybe something had been released in the water that was killing the fish. That was my concern, especially since this is Houston's drinking water," Kish said.

We contacted the Texas Parks and Wildlife's fishery division. They tell us they are aware of the fish kill and at this point suspect it's from "low dissolved oxygen concentration," possibly caused by an algae bloom and warmer water temperatures in the upper end of Lake Houston.

The fish mostly affected are the Gizzard Shad and catfish.

Kish is glad to see the fish kill is dissipating, and hopes she goes at least another 18 years with out seeing it again.

"I've not seen this before and it's always troubling when you see dead wildlife," she said.

The city of Houston has been checking Lake Houston, and tell us there is no impact on drinking water.

Thousands of Fish Killed Overnight in Shenzhen Pond (China) May 3 -

http://english.cri.cn/6909/2012/05/03/2821s697139.htm

Over 50 thousand fish in a pond near an industrial area in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen died overnight on Monday, CRI Online reports.

The dead fish are mostly concentrated in the northern corner of the pond, and half of the body of water is now covered with rotting fish.

Located in the Qiangxiaxin Village at the junction of the Guangming New District and Dongguan in Shenzhen, the fish pond is larger than two basketball courts in area.

"We have invested a total of 350 thousand yuan (about 56 thousand USD) in the form of 60 thousand fish; now it's all over," said Ms. Liu, the fish pond owner. "These fish have been raised for one year, and could have been sold at market three months later."

Liu said she will not sell the dead fish at market despite suffering great financial losses as a result. She also suspects that heavy rain may have led to the pond being contaminated by toxic and harmful substances from a nearby building site in the Maike industrial area.

A manager surnamed Wen at the building site said that he is willing to cover any losses but stated that he is unaware of the presence of toxic materials at the site.

The Guangming New District environmental protection office has already begun investigating the case.

Keep off beaches, Peru warns after mass pelican deaths
Sat May 5, 2012

(Reuters) - Peru's government declared a health alert along its northern coastline on Saturday and urged residents and tourists alike to stay away from long stretches of beach, as it investigates the unexplained deaths of hundreds of dolphins and pelicans.

At least 1,200 birds, mostly pelicans, washed up dead along a stretch of Peru's northern Pacific coastline in recent weeks, health officials said, after an estimated 800 dolphins died in the same area in recent months.

The Health Ministry recommended staying away from beaches, though stopped short of a ban, and called on health officials to use gloves, masks and other protective gear when collecting dead birds.

The peak tourism season around Lima's beaches is over, though many surfers are still venturing into the waters near the capital.

The Agriculture Ministry said preliminary tests on some dead pelicans pointed to malnourishment. Oscar Dominguez, head of the ministry's health department, said experts had ruled out bird flu.

"The Health Ministry ... calls on the population to abstain from going to the beaches until the health alert is lifted," the ministry said in a statement posted on its website, along with a photograph of a dead pelican.

The ministry said officials had so far checked 18 beaches in and around Lima for dead birds, but gave no details on any findings.

A mass pelican death along Peru's northern coast in 1997 was blamed at the time on a shortage of feeder anchovies due to the El Nino phenomenon

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/05/us-peru-health-alert-idUS...

Tens of Thousands of Dead Fish Wash Ashore in Maryland (May 22) -

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/region/anne_arundel_county_/thousa...

The Department of the Environment now says tens of thousands of dead fish have washed ashore in Anne Arundel County.

It started Monday.  At least 6,000 dead fish were found at Marley Creek.  More dead fish were found at the City Dock and at the neck of Marley Creek above Furnace Creek.

Officials say they found between 6 and 12 different species of fish in the fish kills. The fish that were found at the City Dock were contained to the area and are believed to have been pushed in from the Severn River.

More fish kills reported across the U.S. -

Hundreds of Dead Fish in Briar Creek, NC (May 24)

The city of Charlotte is investigating what may have killed hundreds of fish in Briar Creek.

The city discovered the dead fish in Briar Creek near Chantilly Park on Monday after several people reported it to the city's Storm Water Services Department.

"All of our water quality tests are normal," said Jennifer Frost with Storm Water Services. "The heavy amount of rainfall we've seen this week has helped clean out whatever was there."

Frost said there are no water advisories in effect for the creek or its surrounding tributaries.

Frost said the city typically sees large amounts of dead fish when oxygen levels in the water become too low. This can occur naturally or from a chemical introduced into the water, Frost said.

The nearly 3 inches of rain that has fallen in the area since Monday has caused oxygen levels in the water to increase, making it difficult to trace what the cause of the kill was.

"Our crews found no odor or discoloration in the water," Frost said.

Frost said there are no water advisories in effect for the creek or its surrounding tributaries.

The creek runs just of the park under Monroe Road and E. Independence Boulevard.

Over 100 Fish Dead in Utah Pond (May 24) -

A couple tells police they returned home from a business trip to find over 100 fish dead, floating in their private pond.

It happened at 4 Hidden Splendor Court, located in the Thaynes Canyon neighborhood of Park City.  Authorities are trying to determine how the fish may have been poisoned and if the homeowners were the victims of a crime.

The pond is fed by a mountain spring and it is unclear if the water that flows into the pond is organically contaminated.

When the homeowners, Shan Ingleby and Loretta Paulus, returned from their trip at about 1 a.m. on Wednesday, they found fish either dead or thrashing about.  They said the water level was slightly low, so they started filling it with a hose and the fish seemed to calm down.  But by morning, they said, the bottom of the pond was covered with dead fish.

“We have never in all of the years seen anything like this, so many dead fish here at a private property or in the wild,” said Ingleby.

They called police and firefighters arrived as well to test the water for contamination. The couple is awaiting results.

“I’m bothered that there could be something that’s going into our water, whether on purpose or not, that’s killing every living thing,” said Paulus.

Ingleby said he and Paulus have been raising fish in their pond for about four years.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Natural Resources are assisting in the investigation.

Hundreds More Dead Fish Wash Ashore in Maryland (May 24)

250 Dead Fish Discovered in Arizona Lake (May 24)

Thousands of Shellfish Found Dead in Peru (May 25) -

Thousands of crustaceans were found dead off the coast of Lima following the mystery mass death of dolphins and pelicans, the Peruvian Navy said Friday.

The cause of death is under investigation, said Industry and Fishing Minister Gladys Triveno, warning that "it would be premature to give a reason for this phenomenon."

The Navy said it presented a report on the find to the Agency of Environmental Evaluation and Control to determine the cause.

Biologist Yuri Hooker of Cayetano Heredia University said the species found on Pucusana Beach, 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Lima, was a type of red krill about three centimeters (1.2 inches) long.

"They live mostly along the coast of Chile up to the coast of northern Peru. What is happening is that these crustaceans are being affected by the warming of Pacific waters in the north of the country," he said, adding that the phenomenon occurs "with some frequency."

Hooker explained that the warmer temperatures led the shrimp-like creatures that usually live far away from the coast to move in closer to land, where they died.

Nearly 900 dolphins washed up along Peru's northern coast between February and April. A government study said the marine mammals died of natural causes, while environmental groups insist the massive toll was linked to offshore oil exploration in the area.

Peruvian officials have suggested that the dolphins, along with 5,000 dead sea birds -- mostly pelicans -- died due to the effects of rising temperatures in Pacific waters, including the southern migration of fish eaten by the birds.

Fish Kill in Grantham UK (May 29) -

http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/update/2012-05-29/dead-fish-in-gra...

Hundreds of dead fish and hundreds more gasping at the surface of the water have been seen in a stretch of the Grantham Canal.

It is because of low dissolved oxygen levels. The Environment Agency has put several barrels of hydrogen peroxide into the water to generate oxygen.

It is estimated that up to 500 fish died, with at least 1,500 struggling for oxygen.

Fish Kill in Wales, UK (May 28) -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-18234427

The deaths of about 100 fish in a pond in Merthyr Tydfil is being investigated by Environment Agency Wales.

An angler spotted the dead gudgeon in the water at Dowlais Top on Sunday.

The agency has taken samples from the pond and fisheries experts are trying to locate the source of the problem.

An agency spokesman said there were more than six species of fish in the pond but only gudgeon had been affected so far.

Note: Gudgeon are bottom feeders.

http://www.fish-uk.com/species_gudgeon.htm

Thousand of Dead Fish Wash Up in Gulf Shores, Alabama (May 29) -

http://www.local15tv.com/news/local/story/Dead-Fish-Wash-Up-in-Gulf...

More dead fish are washing up on local beaches and biologists are trying to figure out why.

The latest wave of dead fish washed up in Gulf Shores Tuesday. Thousands washed up over the weekend in Fairhope and officials say it's happened in other places as well.

Biologists believe it’s a lack of oxygen in the water that's killing the fish. The fish are Bay Anchovies. They are a small fish and highly sensitive. Biologists say this is a natural occurrence and believe it to be, in part, to the unseasonably high temperatures.

"Warm weather equals warm water, which equals lows oxygen," Biologist Karon Alpin said. "It's a possibility that fish are feeling the affects of that, too."

TRANSLATION: Dissolved Methane = Low Oxygen

More than 10,000 carp found dead mysteriously in Blue Springs Lake

Missouri conservationists are trying to solve a mystery in an area lake.

What started as a couple dozen dead carp turned into more than 10,000 in Blue Springs Lake.

Conservationists took water samples and couldn't figure out exactly what caused the deaths. Their samples have now gone onto a national lab for further analysis.

Between 500 and 1,000 carp have been killed everyday. Jake Allman, a biologist with the Missouri Conservation, started noticing carp with lesions under their scales the last few weeks.   Source

Dead Carp Fill Canal Near Lake Manitoba (June 15) -

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/06/15/mb-dead-fis...

Scores of dead fish have surfaced in a canal near Lake Manitoba.

The canal runs several kilometres between Lake St. Francis and Lake Manitoba. The area is near Twin Lakes Beach, which was devastated by flooding in 2011.

As far as the eye can see down the channel are the white bellies of dead fish. mostly carp.

"I'm told by locals they just started appearing yesterday," reporter Sean Kavanagh said.

Another Massive Fish Kill in Japan (June 14) -

http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/06/10-thousand-sardines-found-dead-...

10,000 sardines were found dead on the beach in Minami shitaura machi Miura city Kanagawa as well.
Public Interest Incorporated Foundation staff reported it to the city government around at 15:00 6/14/2012.
Probably it’s been a few days since they were washed up.

From the result of simple water quality testing, nothing abnormal was found. Prefectural government is going to investigate more. Staff talks there is a possibility that the sardines were chased after large predators from offshore, but a farmer near this area talks he hasn’t seen such a thing before.

Hamilton investigating hundreds of dead fish

The city is testing the water in Red Hill Creek after reports of hundreds of dead fish in the creek in Hamilton's east end.

The city and the Ministry of Environment investigated after a nearby resident reported hundreds of dead fish in the creek Tuesday. It is now assessing what could have killed the scores of fish, which included white suckers, creek chubs, crayfish and minnows near the overpass of King Street East.

It was likely the sudden heat that killed the fish, depriving them of oxygen in the water, said Jennifer Hall, spokesperson for the regional office of the Ministry of the Environment.

“On days like yesterday and today, where there are rapid temperature increases and low shallow water, the temperature spike shocks the fish,” she said.

“This is a natural phenomenon.”

The fish were found in a shallow area of the creek, which meant they couldn't dive deeper for cooler temperatures, she said.

There was no odour or evidence of a spill. There was no sheen on the water, and areas where water flows into the creek were dry.

But the city's environmental monitoring and enforcement team is testing water samples to make sure, said Kelly Anderson, public works spokesperson.

The water temperature where the fish were found was 29 C, she said.

Lisa Jennings, aquatic ecologist with the Hamilton Conservation Authority, said large numbers of dead fish are not a common sight in local waters.

http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/story/2012/06/20/hamilton-dead-fish...

Yet more weird, unexplained animal deaths.  Cyanide suddenly, somehow released from "modified" grass is what we are supposed to believe caused the deaths of cows in Texas.  It is interesting that the first Establishment Excuse provided had to essentially be retracted as the grass is not genetically modified as originally claimed.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Modified grass blamed for mass cattle deaths in Texas

,,, Preliminary tests revealed that the grass, an altered form of Bermuda grass known as Tifton 85, had mysteriously begun producing cyanide gas. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are conducting further tests to determine if some sort of mutation caused the grass to suddenly begin giving off the deadly gas.

The cattle died roughly three weeks ago while grazing on a ranch in Elgin, Texas, about 20 miles east of Austin. According to the ranch’s owner, Jerry Abel, the cattle began howling shortly after being let out to graze one day. Fifteen of his eighteen cattle died, all of them in a matter of hours.

The cattle died roughly three weeks ago while grazing on a ranch in Elgin, Texas, about 20 miles east of Austin. According to the ranch’s owner, Jerry Abel, the cattle began howling shortly after being let out to graze one day. Fifteen of his eighteen cattle died, all of them in a matter of hours.,,,

Correction:  The grass suspected of killing the cattle is not a GMO in the sense that food activists typically use, though it is a scientifically modified hybrid of African bermudagrass and an earlier hybrid grass, Tifton 68. The USDA and the University of Georgia jointly developed Tifton 85 and released it for commercial use in 1992. While it was not developed through some of the more controversial gene splicing methods used in GMOs —such as, say injecting fish genes into tomatoes — it is technically considered a genetically modified plant.  http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/06/23/genetically-modified-grass-bl...

Mass Deaths of Green Turtles in Australia a Mystery (June 29) -

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-29/flora-fauna/...

Scientists were at a loss Friday to explain the mysterious deaths of more than 70 green turtles that have washed up on beaches in northeast Australia over the last week.

Queensland state authorities said 62 of the vulnerable species were confirmed dead and another 10 were spotted floating at sea by a helicopter.

Marty McLaughlin, operations manager at Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services, said the turtles were nourished and had no obvious signs of illness.

"There is no obvious cause of death. We've tested for all the normal reasons, like boat strikes and starvation, but that has not occurred," he told AFP.

"It is species-specific to green turtles and we can't see any signs of toxicity or chemicals, and our analysis to date has shown no parasites. It's a complete mystery."

All of the turtles were found around Upstart Bay, south of Townsville, in the past week.

McLaughlin said crabs and pigs feeding on the carcasses did not appear affected by whatever killed the turtles, which are considered vulnerable under national legislation.

Fish kill hits Rehoboth’s Silver Lake (Jul 4)

A fish kill occurred July 4 in Rehoboth's Silver Lake, the first major kill since 2008.

Rehoboth Beach — Hundreds, likely thousands of fish are dead in Rehoboth Beach’s Silver Lake in the first fish kill there since 2008.

Dead fish could be seen floating from the Bayard Avenue bridge to Rehoboth Elementary School. Most appeared to be small perch or bass. Source

Thousands of dead fish found in Dexter (Jul 4)

DEXTER, MO (KFVS) - Thousands of dead fish turned up over the past couple of days at Dexter City Lake. It's an important image for residents like Dean Smith.

"My son fished over there when he was small," said Smith. 

He knows the importance of the community pond because he has lived in Dexter, Missouri his whole life.

"There's people that come there everyday and fish," said Smith.

But right now, signs say no fishing. That's because thousands of fish are dead and officials blame our triple digit weather. Source

Rare whale found dead on east Gippsland beach (Jul 9)

A rare whale has washed up on the ocean beach at the mouth of the Snowy River at Marlo in far east Gippsland.

The fully grown female Shepherd's beaked whale measuring 6.6 metres long, was found on Thursday night.

It is the first time that species of whale has beached in Victoria.

Teams of scientists from Melbourne have spent the weekend breaking the whale down to transport its skeleton to Museum Victoria.  Source

Caterpillar eruption near Mount St. Helens

They're everywhere up here, and they've brought the elements of an insect horror movie to the upper Toutle Valley.

The Hummocks Trail near Coldwater Lake is speckled with their brown, fuzzy bodies, and you can't help squashing them by the dozen as you hike the terrain northwest of Mount St. Helens. They've turned the trunks of trees into wiggling, squirming masses. If you briefly stand still, several will creep up your boots and legs. Interpretive signs and kiosks are curtained with their writhing bodies, and if you stand silent you can hear them munching away at the leaves of red alder trees.

A breakout of tent caterpillars that began last summer has exploded this year at the heart of the volcano's blast zone. Billions and billions of inch-long critters are stripping alders of foliage and bringing a creepy, but fascinating new factor to the evolution of the landscape Mount St. Helens blasted 32 years ago.

However, no one knows why caterpillar numbers surged last year and are really mushrooming this year ...... Source

Welsh Government To Investigate Unexplained Swan Deaths

An investigation is under way after the mysterious deaths of 30 swans in Cardiff.

Officials say the animals died within a three-week period, the cause is unknown.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/07/10/welsh-government-to-inve...

Hundreds of dead penguins washed up in Brazil

Scientists are investigating what could have caused the death of around 500 animals found on the shores of Sao Paulo state. They are trying to establish if strong currents and colder temperatures may be to blame.

"What worries us this year, is the absurdly high number of penguins that have appeared dead in a short period of time."

And from another source:

"veterinarians were puzzled by the large number of animals found and by the fact that they appeared well fed, not exhausted and without injuries or oil stains."

5 hospitalized in McAllen bee attack

A swarm of bees attacked several people Friday evening, sending five to the hospital for treatment.

Customers were ordered to stay inside the various buildings, including Hop Tung Vietnamese Chinese Restaurant and the Lucky 13 tattoo parlor.

Employees at other stores looked out from their windows as firefighters worked to remove the bees, but were also stung in the process.

“At first I saw some of the guys swatting in the air and didn’t know what was going on but then as they got close I saw the bees,” said Andy Wynn, one of the roofers who dropped to the ground and covered himself in insulation material in an effort to stay safe from the bees. “I was concerned that some of the guys might jump off the roof to get away from the bees … it was about 5 or 10 at a time but they came at you and tried to get in your ears or your nose.”

Wynn said he’d never been attacked by bees in his eight years as a roofer.   Source

Large amount of dead fish float at south lake in Wuhan (Jul 16)

Dead fish float at the south lake in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province, July 15, 2012. Large amount of dead fish showed up at the south lake of Wuhan recently....   Source