Massive fish kill blankets Arkansas River

[WhiteTara]

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- Arkansas officials are investigating the death of an estimated 100,000 fish in the state's northwest and suspect disease was to blame, a state spokesman said Sunday.

Dead drum fish floated in the water and lined the banks of a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River near Ozark, about 125 miles northwest of Little Rock, said Keith Stephens of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. A tugboat operator discovered the fish kill Friday night, and fisheries officials collected some of the dying animals to conduct tests.

Stephens said fish kills occur every year, but the size of the latest one is unusual, and suggested some sort of disease was to blame.

"The fish kill only affected one species of fish," he said. "If it was from a pollutant, it would have affected all of the fish, not just drum fish."

Ozark is about 125 west of the town of Beebe, where game wardens are trying to find out why up to 5,000 blackbirds fell from the sky just before midnight New Year's Eve.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/01/02/arkansas.fish.kill/

---

So now we have had tornados, earthquakes ( http://articles.cnn.com/2010-12-13/us/arkansas.earthquakes_1_earthquake-swarm-new-madrid-arkansas-town?_s=PM:US ), birds falling from the sky, fish dying in the river; I wonder what Pat Buchanan will say.

[panader0]

1. Maybe the birds ate the fish??

[Adsos Letter]

13. Excellent question. n/t

[xiamiam]

14. my first thought as well..nt

[intheflow]

15. Well, blackbirds don't eat fish.

But it's two big die-offs in a very short time within a very limited geographical area, so it's certainly possible the two incidents are related.

[geckosfeet]

21. Nonsense. Move along. Nothing to see. We will call with lab results. eom

[Savage1]

28. Lab Results

Who is the "We" who will calling with lab results. Who all will be called? and how soon is soon? Who can be called to provide a copy of the certified lab results. And just what all parameters are being tested for? While red-wing blackbirds may not be prone to eat fish, they certainly do eat riparian insects along rivers...insects which can bioaccumulate toxins from river water.

[intheflow]

35. geckosfeet was being sarcastic.

It's a standard joke on DU: when something big happen someone does an impersonation of what we get from officials, i.e., "There's nothing to see here, folks."

Welcome to DU. You'll get used to our snarky, sarcastic ways soon enough! :hi:

[liberalmike27]

56. Possible?

I'd say near certainly related, and the excuses they are given sound like BS. Why do we not hear about these every year if it is fireworks? BS

[defendandprotect]

36. Exactly ... that would seem to be the source of it all-- !!

[karynnj]

2. This almost seems a new version of the 10 plagues in the Exodus story

or a sign that mother nature is clearly not happy.

[defendandprotect]

39. It's the same old plague .... elites/royals/rich and their need for war and weapons....

[sarcasmo]

3. Churches might be extra busy next Sunday.

[theophilus]

4. This MIGHT be "natural". It might NOT be. Anyway....unfortunately

we are going to see more and more of this kind of thing, I fear. Will we be told the truth? Maybe. I hope scientists will get out the info. Sad days for nature.

[truedelphi]

23. Someone on DU posted a GUlf Oil related video, and the fisherman

Was talking about all the damage that the surfactants did.

And how now so many fish, and so many different types of fish have this black gunky stuff on their bodies. It's not exactly oil, but what is it?

So the people in the fishing communities question the EPA, which says, "Oh that. That's black gill disease."

Totally made up, according to the way the fisherman tells the story. But we cannot have our EPA hurting the bottom line of a considerable player such as BP!

[Kip Humphrey]

32. Probably just some dumb rapturist tryin' to make it real... birds fell from the sky...fish

washed ashore, GREAT CATACLYSMS WILL FOLLOW!!!

So be sure to send in your $500 today
to ensure your seat on the RESURRECTION EXPRESS
for that day that's coming VERY, VERY SOON now,
RAPTURE DAY!




a PSA by your local chapter of EVANGELICALS FOR GLOBAL NUCLEAR DESTRUCTION

[defendandprotect]

40. Nature doesn't attack itself -- nothing "natural" about this .....

It's capitalism which attacks itself in its attacks on nature --

capitalism is suicidal --

[ladjf]

48. That's another good way to describe the destructive nature of

Man. nt

[glinda]

5. Something is terribly wrong in that area.

[SpiralHawk]

6. Could it be drift up from the Gulf?

As if evaporation from the Gulf may have lifted upward, and then been carried inland to fall in rain droplets into the river. Might that be a factor?

Died of DPS = dirty planet syndrome?

[glinda]

30. That is a thought. The incidents have to be related. Too big and at the same time basically.

[SpiralHawk]

7. Wow - is this fish kill related to this massive Arsansas bird kill?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=106591&mesg_id=106591

More Than 1,000 Dead Birds Plunge From Sky in Arkansas

Advertisements
BEEBE, Ark. -- Wildlife officials are trying to determine what caused more than 1,000 blackbirds to die and fall from the sky over an Arkansas town.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said Saturday that it began receiving reports about the dead birds about 11:30 p.m. the previous night. The birds fell over a 1-mile area of Beebe, and an aerial survey indicated that no other dead birds were found outside of that area.

Commission ornithologist Karen Rowe said the birds showed physical trauma, and she speculated that "the flock could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail."

The commission said that New Year's Eve revelers shooting off fireworks in the area could have startled the birds from their roost and caused them to die from stress.

*snip*

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/02/more-than-1-000-dead-...


This is kinda creepy. :scared:

[shraby]

8. I doubt it was New Year's eve revelers..that happens every

year at this time and birds haven't massively died off before.

[valerief]

9. Isn't the usual reason because god is punishing teh gays? nt

[WhiteTara]

44. my thought is that the pukes took over the state

so maybe She is angry!

[Art_from_Ark]

54. Actually, the state government is overwhelmingly Democratic

so you probably need another theory

[liberalmike27]

57. No Valerief

God gets credit for all the good, but all the bad is blamed on us humans, that way we can never feel good about the good stuff, and will always have low self-esteem about the bad stuff.

[Edweird]

10. Pine Bluff?

[James48]

18. Probably not.

Pine Bluff is several hundred miles down river from there.

Fort Chaffee is much more likely. It is very near where the first fish kills were spotted.

[WhiteTara]

45. have there been other fish die offs in the past?

I'm rather new in the state. Have you heard of this before?

[RushIsRot]

11. Any way to determine if they've all been anally probed?

[joanbarnes]

12. God's revenge?

In 1993 amidst historic flooding, the lunatic fringe said it was God's revenge for legalized gambling. Therefore it follows that these events are God's revenge for Wal-Mart.

[James48]

16. Chemical weapons

My training in Chemical weapons says- if you see dead birds or dead fish- suspect the presence of chemical weapons.

The first location of dead fish reported is just a few miles down stream from Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.

You never know.

Check this out: http://www.thecitywire.com/?q=node/4151

Fort Chaffee was the site of several Agent Orange and other toxic research projects in the 1960's.

[PinkTiger]

19. Yeah, but

I thought Fort Chaffee was closed and abandoned by the military a decade ago.
Couldn't it be related to the earthquakes? I've been predicting a big one for central Arkansas for months, and they have had more than 500 tremors since September 20 in that area.
Or it could be UFOs or a deadly ray from Planet X (VBG)

[intheflow]

22. Well if you want to go all CT,

the tremors could have dislodged a sealed toxic waste site at the base. :tinfoilhat: But this is all just idle speculation unless you're going to head to the area and pull an Erin Brockovich.

[Eddie Haskell]

33. Tremors

Couldn't they cause a release of natural gas?

[WhiteTara]

42. the constant quaking is from the fracking of the earth

for the nat gas under the surface. That is my belief. But, I read that this occurred several years ago also, so that let's the fracking out. However, there is no fault around there and it is some distance from the New Madrid line.

[defendandprotect]

38. Why are you trying to push the idea ....

of hostile aliens/UFO's ... ???

Many presidents and Generals have discussed UFO's -- confidently told us that they

are under intelligent control -- many presidents have had sightings --

Presumably if we have had alien visitations they have been going on for 375,000 years

or more --

If they intended to do us harm, it would have been done long ago.

[PacerLJ35]

52. Chaffee is in caretaker status

It's closed, the buildings and infrastructure are no longer used, but the land is still used for exercises. But no, they don't keep chemical weapons there. All chemical weapons have been stored pending disposal, some of them at Pine Bluff Arsenal. The United States no longer uses chemical weapons. Last I heard most of the chemical weapons had been disposed of.

[jwirr]

24. I seem to remember that there was a chemical warfare lab in that

area somewhere years ago?

[xiamiam]

27. wouldnt that be quite easy to determine?..wouldnt the foliage be dead? nt

[Alameda]

31. OMG...that link show an unimaginable irresponsibility

that staggers the imagination!

[defendandprotect]

37. A good start for an investigation -- Ft. Chafee --

[WhiteTara]

46. it does smack of chemicals

It might explain the die off in Ozark, but the other was some distance away. Guy and Beebe are very close which might have some relation there.

I think there is such a complete breakdown of all the systems that we may create areas of uninhabitable land. And on the other hand, we're employing new technologies without any regard for the future. It doesn't bode well for our Home.

[annm4peace]

51. I knew someone would have a good idea

thanks for post I hope to see more of what you have to say.

[lobodons]

17. Religious Rights Response

God is punishing Arkansas for electing a Dem. Governor.

[undeterred]

29. Don't be silly.

God is mad because DADT has been repealed. Gays in the military make God want to kill birds and fishes.

:hide:

[NoodleyAppendage]

20. Didn't I see this movie before? Close Encounters...something. n/t

J

[DeadEyeDyck]

25. Much more like "Crazies" for the animal kingdom (for now)

[xiamiam]

26. i think something sinister has occurred...sound vibration or something like that

what do i know?..nothing..its just a feeling..and no, i do not watch or read sci fi

[Hestia]

34. Why are they mentioning Beebe in relation to Ozark? That may be 125 miles as the crow flies

but they aren't anywhere close to each other. Even by freeway we are talking several hours apart. I'm trying to think if there is anything in Ozark to pollute the area, but I think it is all very light industry. Wineries not too far up Hwy 64, along with lots of liquor stores. Ft Smith is too far away to affect Ozark area on the river. There are locks in between the two areas. Drum are very tough fish, but why are the only one's affected? You'd think you'd see catfish too. Those don't look like the drum I've seen fishin' the river. They must be fingerlings, drum are so big that bow hunters fish them out of the river, along with gar.

[WhiteTara]

43. I think that it's because of the timing

we sure are getting a lot of the "pestilence" type thing going on here. Earthquakes, tornadoes, birds falling from the sky, the river filled with dead fish. Quite the way to end the year!

[Hestia]

50. I won't worry until the firstborn are missing - sorry, gallows humor

[DeSwiss]

41. First They Came For The Blackbirds.....

"http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/01/02/arkansas.fish.kill/">The fish kill only affected one species of fish," he said. "If it was from a pollutant, it would have affected all of the fish, not just drum fish."

- They're killing the Drums......

K&R

[Uncle Joe]

47. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, WhiteTara.

[ladjf]

49. I have no idea as to why the kills happened. However, here is

a possible scenario:

Arkansas has numerous fish farms and agricultural fields. Rotenone is the pesticide of choice for numerous types of kills. When used in water, it kills fish by suffocation. Drum fish are among the most susceptible to suffocation.

In the case of a run-off from heavy rains (which Arkansas just experienced), the Rotenone could have run into the river, killing the fish. The birds could have ingested the Rotenone by drinking river water or by eating some of the dead fish. (Red winged blackbirds are omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects and earthworms all year. Normally, that wouldn't include fish. But, with the availability from the fish kill, it might be possible.)

We will have to wait for lab tests and hope that the truth will be told.

[Earth_First]

53. Any possibility of a correlation to Corexit?

:shrug:

[hugo_from_TN]

55. Eerie coincidencies

massive fish kill
dead blackbirds
paranoid and conspiricy minded posters on a progressive discussion board

Something in the environment is affecting all these creatures, for sure.

[Scheridan]

58. Maybe it's a leak of biological weapons.

If the death of the animal world is selectively perhaps it leaked biological weapons selective action.

[Rhiannon12866]

59. They think it must be some sort of disease

Because a pollutant would have killed all of the fish, not just specific kinds. :(

Welcome to DU, Scheridan! Are you really from Tbilisi, in Georgia? I actually visited there in 1986, beautiful and amazing city, a blend of the very old and the modern... It's great to have you with us! :hi:

[upi402]

60. Testing? Any results yet?

Which government agency is researching this? Or are we stuck on stupid and just going to shrug our shoulders yet again?