Some of the thousands of seagulls attracted to local waters from last weekend's fish kill.Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Loads of decaying dead fish washing up around Boston Harbor are being reported.
Those with New England fishing knowledge said fish-kills are fairly common seasonal events in these parts usually involving herring or menhaden.
Both herring and menhaden are favored baits used for fishing, especially striped bass.
Social media has been posting pictures from the North End of seagulls by the thousands feasting on the stinky treats mother nature has provided.
Herring and menhaden are anadromous fish meaning they move from freshwater to saltwater to spawn while catadromous fish move from saltwater to freshwater to spawn.
Experts say fish-kills have many causes. Some causes are natural such as even slight changes in water temperature or oxygen levels.
Other causes could be an indication of a possible environmental issue.
Michael Armstrong, Deputy Director of Fish Biology at Division of Marine Fisheries, said they investigated reports of the fish-kill in Boston Harbor last weekend.
He said it was caused by migratory river herring that had trouble passing through the New Boston Dam of the Charles River. “Each spring, thousands of river herring return to Massachusetts rivers to spawn. Occasionally, when a large number of herring congregate below dams, it can cause dissolved oxygen levels to dramatically drop making it hard for them to survive. While fish kills are unfortunate, they seldom have a significant effect on the overall population because of the large number of river herring that return to the Charles River each spring.”
WBZ NewsRadio's Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.
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