Thousands of fish turned up dead in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor this week, and state officials said it wasn’t foul play, just a bad case of no oxygen.
According to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), about 25,000 menhaden died in waters stretching from Canton to Locust Point, near the Under Armour headquarters.
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MDE told 7News that tests revealed low dissolved oxygen levels, which they suspect were caused by a seasonal algae die-off. MDE also noted signs of a possible “turnover” event, where oxygen-poor water from the harbor’s bottom mixed with surface water.
The agency said there is no evidence of a specific pollution event, and that these die-offs happen periodically when conditions stack up against the fish.
Considered “the most important fish in the sea,” menhaden are small, oily filter feeders that help keep the water along the Atlantic coast clean by eating plankton. They are also a vital food source for striped bass, bluefish, predatory birds, and even whales.