Thousands of fish die at Marina del Rey; heat wave blamed
May 19, 2014
MARINA DEL REY (AP) — Officials reported that thousands of fish have died at Marina del Rey.
Work crews were still scooping dead sea life from the surface of the harbor May 19 after thousands of dead anchovies, sardines and even an octopus died and floated to the surface in Basin A of the marina near Bora Bora Way.
The silvery blanket of fish on the water’s surface, which was first reported Saturday night May 17 created a pungent smell and set off a feeding frenzy of harbor seals, pelicans and seagulls.
Marine biologists were working May 19 to determine the cause, with some suggesting that a lack of oxygen in the water caused by the recent heat wave was to blame.
Similar fish die-offs occurred at the King Harbor Marina in Redondo Beach and the Ventura Harbor in 2011.
