Southern California,
USA harbor turns
into sea of dead fish. A sudden die-off of fish
turned Redondo Beach's
King Harbor overnight
into a graveyard
of what officials said
was millions of sardines
reaching two feet (61 cm) deep
in some places.
King Harbor Marina worker (M):
Yesterday, a lot of fish
[were] in the water,
floating in the water.
I saw millions, millions.
It's smelling now.
VOICE:
The lifeless fish began
surfacing in the
1,400-vessel marina e
arly Tuesday morning,
March 8.
Tests by the California
Department of Fish
and Game (CDFG)
suggest that the fish
suffocated due to
lack of oxygen in
the water late Monday.
Further tests are needed
to determine what drove
them into the harbor,
although initial thoughts
include an attempt
to escape a toxic red tide,
or perhaps storm
conditions that drove
the sardines to seek the
harbor's calmer waters.
Port Royal Yacht Club member (M):
We are just down here
cleaning up.
Basically,
all the fish got chased in,
got stuck in the harbor
with extremely
low oxygen levels.
And due to
the mass of them,
they're all trying to
breathe the same oxygen
and suffocated.
VOICE:
However, with the cause
of these millions
of deaths still unknown,
crews including firefighters,
harbor patrol, and
nearly 100 volunteers
had to begin removing
the bodies before
they decompose
and potentially poison
other sea life or cause
an algal bloom to form,
leading to further
oxygen deprivation
in the harbor's waters.
The effort is estimated
to take a week and
cost US$100,000.
On Tuesday alone,
22 tons (NFT: 20,000 kilograms) of dead fish
were collected
from the surface alone,
with some areas of
the harbor bottom
also containing
thick layers of fish
that also needed
to be removed.
Speaking of the wish
to avoid extensive
ecological damage,
Redondo Beach's
city manager,
Bill Workman, said,
“The quicker we remove
the decaying fish,
the better opportunity
we have for recovery.
Time is of the essence;
we have to move quickly.”
While we are saddened
by the tragic death
of so many
marine co-inhabitants,
we thank all personnel,
and volunteers working
to find answers
and prevent further
loss of life. Let us do our part
in protecting all life
in the seas through
our more considerate
stewardship
of the environment.
As during an October
2009 videoconference
in Indonesia,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
has often expressed
concern about such tragic
marine phenomena
while urging
for greater efforts to
minimize our own impact
to the oceans' balance.
Supreme Master Ching Hai : You can see that
the dead fish are covering
the whole entire surface
of water.
You don't see water.
You only see dead fish
floating on top.
It's a horrible sight
to witness.
As I have said before,
if the world's people all
become vegans,
nature will rebound
almost before our eyes,
almost overnight, and
we may see the oceans
healthy again.
Moreover,
around the world,
countless enormous
ocean dead zones will
have a chance to return
to life.
Also, when we stop
vacuuming all the poor
fish out of the sea,
they will have a chance
to restore the balance
in the oceans.
We desperately need
the fish in the sea
to balance the ocean;
otherwise our lives
will be in danger.
God puts them there
for a reason.
When the ocean
is healthy again,
even the dead coral reefs
will revive themselves.
Imagine!
Nature is miraculous
and incredible. But in order to witness
nature's recovery,
we must not let
our current way of life
continue.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/03/08/california.dead.fish/index.htmlhttp://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5i1zv8M9DDmRG4kxwybvR2plQ1nCw?docId=6196837
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/10/c_13769544.htmhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/us/10fish.htmlhttp://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/03/35-tons-of-dead-sardines-scooped-from-king-harbor-so-far-cleanup-costs-top-100000.html
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2011/03/volunteers-needed-for-dead-fish-cleanup-in-redondo-beachs-king-harbor.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3353985/One-third-of-fish-caught-worldwide-used-as-animal-feed.htmlExtra NewsTo encourage both
a cleaner environment
and a move away from
petroleum-based fuels,
a new law in China
will levy higher taxes
on larger vehicles,
while those with engines
of 2.0 liters or less
will benefit
from tax
reductions.
http://english.cntv.cn/20110226/107218.shtml