Archive | December 13, 2015
40+ dead turtles found washed ashore along the coast of Emilia Romagna, Italy
The Fondazione Cetacea launches new alarm about what’s happening along the coast of the Northern Adriatic: «black continues his series of beached turtles finds death weekend. The weekend just passed has seen retrieving another forty dead specimens between the coasts of Emilia Romagna and the marches, plus a dolphin in Miramare di Rimini. The storms highlight the large number of deaths of these animals in our waters. Our past “patient” was found dead: Achilles, released after care in June 2013. “
The fondazione Cetacea on 24 November had belied what was written on the Corriere di Romagna in an article on the stranding of sea turtles in the days before: «stranded specimens this weekend did not die because of the drop in temperatures but were dead for some time, in fact you are stranded in a State of decomposition due to the storm. The causes of their death so they are more».
The weekend of November 24 3 23 and had been called “another” black weekend “for sea turtles» from the Fondazione Cetacea which had revealed that” the big storm brought ashore almost fifty carcasses of turtles; animals that had died off and were washed ashore by the force of the waves. Unfortunately between died we rediscovered a our knowledge: Francesca Maria. This turtle was recovered in October 2013 by WWF marine reserve of Miramare in Trieste, with a serious wound from breakthrough on the carapace; She had been hospitalized at our centre of Riccione until October of 2014 when it was released in Singapore. It was among the first on which they are experienced security and resin cover, only consolation, we verified that this substance has done its job and resisted at the time, completing its task of protecting the wound but did not help Francesca Maria to avoid other dangers. “
Courtesy of greenreport.it
Hundreds of dead fish wash ashore in Biloxi, Mississippi, USA
An abundance of algae in the Mississippi Sound may be the cause of hundreds of small dead fish washing ashore in Biloxi. However, after testing the waters, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and Department of Environmental Quality say their results are inconclusive.
According to MDEQ, the fish kill happened offshore and the tide brought in the menhaden, anchovy, hard-head catfish and crab. The majority of the dead fish are spread along the beach from Treasure Bay Casino east to Kuhn Street.
Over the past three days, MDEQ and MDMR agents have taken samples to determine what’s killing the fish. Their samples are not meeting the threshold to confirm it was an algae bloom.
Courtesy of msnewsnow.com
Thousands of geese and ducks killed due to avian flu in Dordogne, France
THOUSANDS of birds have been slaughtered in the Dordogne after two fresh outbreaks of bird flu were detected there earlier this week, bringing the total in the department to three in the past fortnight.
The council ordered the killing of 1,000 geese in Domme and 14,000 ducks in Saint-Paul-la-Roche where the two latest outbreaks occurred. The first outbreak happened in Biras, near Périgueux, last week.
All three sites are now under strict quarantine orders, with about 70 agricultural businesses affected.
The prefect of the department Christophe Bay said the birds had been infected with a “highly pathogenic” H5 virus that has a high chance of causing disease. Scientists are studying it to work out how it is passed on and the Ministry of Agriculture will send experts on epidemics to help.
Scientists have been intrigued by the H5 virus’s apparent lack of lethality suggested by the low death rate of birds on the infected farms, said Dr Frédéric Piron, departmental director of sanitation.
Professor François Bricaire of the Pitié Salpêtrière hospital in Paris said: “The farmers must take precautions but everything has been anticipated.”
Courtesy of connexionfrance.com
Mass fish deaths ‘a mystery’ in Cockburn Sound, Australia
The WA Fisheries Minister has admitted authorities are still unsure what caused the death of large numbers of fish in Perth’s south, as officials begin to investigate further fatalities.
The Department of Fisheries confirmed late yesterday it was investigating further deaths in the Cockburn Sound area, in addition to the estimated 1,000 fatalities that were first identified in late November.
The most recent deaths, affecting both blowfish and snapper on both sides of the Garden Island causeway and also near the Point Peron boat ramp, led authorities to visit the area yesterday to collect samples for further testing.
The initial deaths, which affected as many as 14 species, ranging from blowfish to squid, have been subject to testing which Fisheries Minister Ken Baston admitted was yet to find a cause.
“Results to date are not conclusive as to a single definitive cause,” Mr Baston told Parliament.
“We are seeking expert interpretation of the results, but there is nothing obvious that might explain the cause of the incident.”
Shooters and Fishers MP Rick Mazza, who questioned Mr Baston on the deaths in Parliament, said it was vital authorities determined the cause of the problem quickly.
“It’s very disappointing that we haven’t got to the bottom of the reason why we’ve had these fish deaths,” Mr Mazza said.
“Until we understand what has actually occurred there could be further deaths.
“There have also been concerns raised with me that there could be a knock-on effect to other wildlife that feeds on fish, such as dolphins and seals and also birds.”
Courtesy of abc.net.au
Massive die off of fish in a river in Mumbai, India
Last week, residents of Nerul in Navi Mumbai woke up to the stench and sight of lakhs of dead fishes surfacing on the Karave lake in the area, forcing them to launch a massive clean-up operation.
“Two trucks of dead fish have already been taken away from here,” said a resident. When asked for the reason, he said, “There are chemicals in the water, that’s why the fishes are dead.”
Local political leaders have blamed the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation or NMMC, alleging that the civic body turned a blind eye to the illegal dumping of industrial waste into the lake.
“There are industries in this neighbourhood and the chemicals released by them kill the fishes. The NMMC has spent crores to build a jogging track in this area but they don’t care about the lakes or fishes in these lakes,” said Vijay Mane, a Shiv Sena corporator.
The Navi Mumbai civic body has ordered an inquiry to find out the reason for this.
Locals expressed even more anguish claiming that two trucks of dead fish were already sold at the local market before action could be taken.
“The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation needs to look into the matter as early as possible. If sewage or chemicals are being released in the water, then action must be taken against them,” said Environmentalist Aarti Chauhan highlighting the need to act at the earliest.
Just a month ago, thousands of fish were found dead along the shores of Airoli and Ghansoli. So far 11 humpback dolphins have also been found dead across the region.
Courtesy of ndtv.com
Hundreds of dead fish found in a canal off Lake Yojoa, Honduras
The appearance of hundreds of fish died in a Lake of Yojoa drainage channel has forced environmental authorities of this municipality to initiate a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the phenomenon.
The fact is recorded in the sector of Peña Blanca, on the channel that carries water to the hydroelectric Cañaveral.
Since the weekend, residents and fishermen noted that there was a good amount of fish of different sizes and species in these waters.
They immediately alerted the technicians of the Municipal Environmental Department (Dema), which already conducted an inspection and collected samples of the fish that will be analyzed and studied by a biologist who already applied to the Institute of forest conservation.
“There might be criminal hand or effects of climate change, at the moment can not give details to not have the official report of the experts in this kind of cases,” said Raymundo Guerrero, Member of the Dema.
He said that the most worrying situation is that some residents took the fish to eat and sell and if the cause is some pollution could affect the health of which consume them.
“We ask people not to eat the product to prevent greater consequences,” he said. Bad odor to the decomposition of Tilapia, bas, Galaxy, guapote, among other species, stretches along the tributary which crosses the village of Peña Blanca. The authorities reported that already presented a report to the Association of municipalities protectors of the Yojoa Lake so that they speed up the arrival of the biologist in the place.
The neighbor Carlos Pineda said that that be had not in the area, by what asked be investigated.
Courtesy of laprensa.hn
Millions of dead fish wash ashore, ‘a mystery’ in Jakarta, Indonesia
Photo By Gempur M Surya
Millions of fish washed up dead in circumstances by the beach at Ancol, North Jakarta, at dawn. Supposedly the fish demise was triggered by the pollution of the sea by mud water containing hydrogen sulfide or H2S.
“There was a huge inflow of water from the rivers to the estuary at Ancol due to reversal or adoption of sludge-sludge,” said the head of the Marine Department, agriculture, Fisheries and food security the provincial Government of DKI Jakarta Lilik Litasari in Jakarta, Monday (30/11/2015).
“This mud contains H2S. The poison, “he imbuh.
He went on, the mud flowing from the River then litter the sea coast and damaging habitat in the area. The fish had been unable to breathe because of the very thin oxygen content.
“It was not until the middle of the Mud, on the edge-the edge only. It’s the fish that live in the vicinity of the beach, “explained him.
Lilik claimed to directly go to Ancol Beach after receiving reports of this phenomenon. She came with the head of the laboratory and take samples of fish and sea water. Despite the scientific examination results have not come out, from Ancol party information, this phenomenon happens routinely every year. But this is the worst.
“I can then direct 1 hour news rolled into the SCENE (scene of things) and head of the laboratory to take samples,” said Lilik.
“Based on the chronology and interviews with friends to Ancol, (carcass stranded) from Friday night. This routine and repetitive events each year, “connect Lilik.
The phenomenon, he added, occurred in the rainy season after such a long drought this year and last year. “If yesterday’s years according to their (Ancol) exist (this phenomenon), just not as much now. But don’t be given to lab, “pungkas Lilik.
Courtesy of liputan6.com
Massive die off of fish found in the waters of Long Island in New York, USA
Long Island waters have seen yet another massive fishkill, with fish seen floating near the shores of Glen Cove Creek — many dead, but others just fighting to survive.
“There’s a lot of fish in a small area, they use up the oxygen and they’re fighting to breathe,” Lt. Lawrence Demmler, of the Glen Cove Harbor Patrol, said.
Demmler estimates well over a hundred thousand bunker fish have crowded the creek this year, opening their gills and mouths to desperately try to draw in more oxygen.
Dozens of fish have already died, with some sinking to the bottom. Others have floated to the shore to be picked apart by seagulls, CBS2’s Elise Finch reported.
“They’re just waiting for an easy meal,” Demmler said of the seagulls. “They’ve been doing it all morning.”
This recent die-off follows another massive fish die-off earlier this year on Long Island’s East End, where tens of thousands of dead fish were seen floating along the shores of the Peconic Bay.
Courtesy of newyork.cbslocal.com
TONS of oysters killed by virus in the Algarve, Portugal
Oyster producers in the western Algarve are up in arms over a government plan that they now must pay 60 cents a kilo to have their devastated stock incinerated.
The Portuguese Association of Aquaculture has demanded an “urgent response” over the question of what happens next to the tons of dead oysters at the Alvor Estuary and Sagres oyster farms after a killer virus from France swept through the nurseries in October.
“We urgently need to know what to do with the tons of shells that are still in nurseries,” stated the general secretary of the Portuguese Aquaculture Association, Fernando Gonçalves.
Nine businesses in the Ria de Alvor and ‘off-shore’ near Sagres, were affected by a virus and a bacterium identified by the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) as ‘herpes virus’ and ‘vibrio’, respectively, which has killed 95% of oyster production valued at about €3 million.
The representative of the Association said “we are waiting for clarification from the various bodies that oversee the industry about the fate of the shells, since they are a Category 2 by-product, which would mean incineration. However, we consider that the shells without anything left inside should not be classified as such.”
In Fernando Gonçalves’ opinion, “the shells pose no danger of contamination and can be used, for example, as hardcore for roads or sent to landfill. Incineration would result in higher costs for producers at around 60 cents per kilogramme.”
Rui Ferreira, head of the largest producer of oysters in the Algarve, OstraSelect, said he lost “about 95% of production, €1 million, and that incineration would result in an additional outlay of approximately €150,000.”
Ferreira already has had to lay off two members of staff, “We will not invest again without knowing what happened. We will have to work differently, with permanent monitoring plans to have any certainty in the future.”
The death of the Algarve’s oysters was due to the diseases being transmitted from infected juvenile oysters imported from France.
Courtesy of algarvedailynews.com
Powerful Alaska Storm Ties Strongest on Record
A potent storm approaching western Alaska this weekend has tied the strongest recorded storm to impact the region.
This storm comes a little over a year after ex-Super Typhoon Nuri became the most powerful system on record to cross Dutch Harbor, Alaska, which is located in the Aleutian Islands, with a central low pressure of 924 millibars (27.29 inches of Hg).
The intensity of a storm is measured by the central pressure, with lower pressure equating to a stronger system.
Previous to Nuri, the old record stood at 925 millibars (27.32 inches of Hg) at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, from a strong storm that hit on Oct. 25, 1977.
To put this in perspective, Hurricane Katrina made landfall at 920 millibars (27.17 inches of Hg).
This storm raced to the northeast and pounded the western Aleutian Islands with hurricane-force winds on Saturday evening, rapidly intensifying in the process.
Winds have gusted to 122 mph (196 km/h) at Adak Island, Alaska, on Saturday night.
Visible satellite image captured Typhoon Nuri as it churned over the West Pacific on Nov. 5, 2014. (Satellite Image/NASA)
Further strengthening is forecast to occur once the storm enters the Bering Sea, potentially breaking the intensity reached by ex-Super Typhoon Nuri in November of 2014.
The Aleutian Islands and west coast of Alaska will continue to experience impacts regardless of whether the storm breaks the record strength.
Hurricane-force winds, which are sustained winds or gusts of 74 mph or greater, will howl across the western Aleutian Islands through Sunday. Gusts of 30-50 mph can be expected across the western Alaska coast on Sunday through Monday.
Large waves upwards of 40 feet should be anticipated, making it hazardous to navigate the waters of the Bering Sea.
Waves are not expected to be nearly as high along the west coast of Alaska, but they could be high enough to cause coastal flooding and erosion. Accumulating snow is also likely across this area.
Wind and waves will lessen early next week as the storm weakens off the coast of eastern Russia.
Courtesy of accuweather.com
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