2nd mass kill in md this year

[Tony gilbert]

This is the 2nd mass find of dead fish in the bay this year idk whats going on but it seems like the chesapeake isnt so healthy

 

[Ninering62]

This is the 2nd mass find of dead fish in the bay this year idk whats going on but it seems like the chesapeake isnt so healthy

That makes me very sad. I literally grew up on the bay, I remember back in the 60's swimming off the south river & west river & bein able to see the bottom at 20' at times. Plenty of fish & crabs & oysters & clams. The worst thing I've seen in over 5 decades there was the occasional red tide. I saw firsthand the fish shellfish dwindle, the water get polluted, long term moratoriums needed.

 

[Tony gilbert]

That makes me very sad. I literally grew up on the bay, I remember back in the 60's swimming off the south river & west river & bein able to see the bottom at 20' at times. Plenty of fish & crabs & oysters & clams. The worst thing I've seen in over 5 decades there was the occasional red tide. I saw firsthand the fish shellfish dwindle, the water get polluted, long term moratoriums needed.

its gotta be all the damn farm run off and im sad too you used to be able to swim not so any more and yes the shell fish are low vary low so are the crabs sadly they gotta do something damn it marylanders deserve better than this crap

 

[Shorty]

Sorta looks like an older problem getting worse. Bad toxins that need a quick fix. Hope they find the cause quickly thats very disturbing to say the least...

 

[Martin JV]

It’s no mystery that **agricultural runoff is the cause** of the poor water conditions that lead to massive die-offs of wildlife.
The water chemistry is just way ourt-of-balance. Too much phosphorus. Too much nitrogen. Too much fertilizer and animal poop.

Any biologist except the very few with conflicts-of-interest will support this claim.

Can’t have large farms in the watershed AND healthy bays. It’s that simple.

Sad for a lot of people.
Economically difficult for others.
Ecologically disastrous for aquatic wildlife (including waterfowl) that depend upon the bays for critically important habitat.

Without strong regulations that restrict the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus entering these bays, these bays are screwed.

 

[GLenn]

And then there is the Omega Menhaden Reduction fishery in the northern Virgina part of the bay that scoops up as much of the "fish food" (Menhaden) as it possibly can and the fishery managers, VMRC, refuses to boot them out of the bay. Don't get me started on this issue!!

Sorry for the outburst but I fish more then I shoot Muzzys!!

 

[Shorty]

What is Menhaden?

 

[Martin JV]

It’s smaller fish, usually between 4-12”.
I believe in the herring family. Oily. A staple of everything from striped bass to seagulls.
Native Americans netted em for food. I bet they’re ok smoked and salted.
Amazing striper and bluefish bait!

 

[Martin JV]

Cool article on em.

https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/Pages/fish-facts.aspx?fishname=menhaden

 

[GLenn]

Menhaden are filter feeders. Meaning they help clean up the water. With more menhaden in the watershed they would help clean up the runoff from farm lands etc. etc. they are certainly a baitfish that ALL sport fish feed on and since the Chesapeake bay is the largest nursery grounds on the east coast I and many others feel as though we would be better off leaving them in the watershed.

The Omega reduction fishery removes many metric tons of these fish every year. They are then cooked down and produce Omega 3 fish oil. If you have ever taken fish oil pills this is probably where it came from. The remaining solids are then used for various animal feeds. I'm just a pretty simple minded country boy but it just seems like a bait fish would serve a better purpose feeding fish as opposed to feeding animals. But I could be mistaken??

A quick search on menhaden and or Omega should keep you reading for a good while.

 

[Tony gilbert]

Menhaden are filter feeders. Meaning they help clean up the water. With more menhaden in the watershed they would help clean up the runoff from farm lands etc. etc. they are certainly a baitfish that ALL sport fish feed on and since the Chesapeake bay is the largest nursery grounds on the east coast I and many others feel as though we would be better off leaving them in the watershed.

The Omega reduction fishery removes many metric tons of these fish every year. They are then cooked down and produce Omega 3 fish oil. If you have ever taken fish oil pills this is probably where it came from. The remaining solids are then used for various animal feeds. I'm just a pretty simple minded country boy but it just seems like a bait fish would serve a better purpose feeding fish as opposed to feeding animals. But I could be mistaken??

A quick search on menhaden and or Omega should keep you reading for a good while.

what i didnt know thats where that came from theyre stealing our fish to make fish oil im calling my senator expeditiously

 

[Ninering62]

It’s smaller fish, usually between 4-12”.
I believe in the herring family. Oily. A staple of everything from striped bass to seagulls.
Native Americans netted em for food. I bet they’re ok smoked and salted.
Amazing striper and bluefish bait!

Yes, exactly. Them fish were considered " bait fish " not one to eat. Killer striper live bait on spinning tackle. Back in the day when we had big chomper blue fish & lots of them, they are a heck of a fight & them fish are great for them as well & cobia too. We used them in crab pots & traps too.

 

[Shorty]

Thank you guys! Great reading on an issue i did not know even existed. One article said the die offs accur from low oxygen conditions in the water. I presume in the summer when the water is at its warmest?