Thread: Orange Beach Fish Kill

A message from City of Orange Beach Coastal Resources:
The unprecedented heat wave coupled with very light north winds has led to depleted levels of oxygen in area waters.
Unfortunately, massive schools of alewife (also called LY), which are a sensitive fish species that congregate in large numbers, have arrived at the same as these conditions have developed.
The result is widespread fish kills around our area. If weather conditions do not change significantly within the next day or so we can only expect to see more kills, especially overnight and in overcast, no rain conditions.
The City has placed a dumpster at the Boggy Point boat launch for residents to deposit fish. We are also considering hiring a contractor to help with the problem, but mobilization will not happen until Wednesday.
Thank you for your patience during this time.

This pic was taken Saturday (Aug 1, 2015) by Ben Locklar of Cotton Bayou across from the boat ramps


More likely these were menhaden (aka "pogies") and not Scaled sardines (aka "LYs).
Anyway, I bet it stinks!

Fish kills reported in Orange Beach backwaters | AL.com

Fish kills reported in Orange Beach backwaters

By Marc D. Anderson | manderson@al.com
on August 03, 2015 at 2:45 PM, updated August 03, 2015 at 3:25 PM
Widespread fish kills are occurring in the back-bay areas of Orange Beach and the summer heat wave appears to be the main culprit, according to Orange Beach Coastal Resources Manager Phillip West.
The unrelenting heat coupled with light northerly winds have prevented any kind of mixing of the waters to help oxygenate them, West said. Adding to the situation are schools of alewife, or possibly menhaden, which are extremely sensitive species.
"So these species are up in huge numbers in waters that are already pretty stressed for dissolved oxygen and it's just a recipe for a fish kill," West said.
The first large fish kill was reported in Cotton Bayou on Friday and sightings continued throughout the weekend from Robinson Island, north of Perdido Pass, to Bayou Saint John, between Ono Island and Bear Point.
Most of the dead fish, typically between 4 and 7 inches long, have been found in Cotton Bayou, according to West.
An explanation for the events, West said, can be found in the pages of "Guide to Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico," a book by Bob Shipp, the former head of marine sciences at the University of South Alabama.
"It says during summer months menhaden often congregate in shallow, poorly flushed estuaries. They're intolerant of low dissolved oxygen levels such as those found in hot, still waters. Thus, fish kills may occur in a chain reaction," West said.
The dead and decaying fish remove even more oxygen, resulting in more kills. "So it's kind of a textbook phenomena just based on our conditions right now," West said.
While out on Cotton Bayou Monday morning, West said one resident said he hadn't seen fish kills that big since a record-breaking heat wave 25 years ago.
If the weather conditions persist, more fish kills are likely.
To address the problem, the city has placed a large garbage bin at the Boggy Point boat launch for residents to get rid of fish. Also, on Tuesday, the council is expected to discuss the possibility of mobilizing its debris contractor to assist with the cleanup.
"I think this is probably the largest fish kill in the estuaries I've ever seen," West said. "I've seen kills related to red tides and other things, like brown tides, that were pretty extensive. But of this type, this is definitely the largest that I've seen. I also can't remember having gone through a July that was so unbearably hot for so long. Something was bound to happen."

Will the fish kill have any impact as to the availability of bait this Oct. around the pier ?

Not likely.
Different species.

Saw the same kind of fish kill in Delaware Bay before.Fish up and down a big stretch of beach for miles.Officals said the same thing type of kill extreme heat and lack of oxygen.Hope the heat ends soon.Thanks pier for report.

God dog I bet that does stink. I can stand the smell of when a bowfisher throws a few dead carp up on the bank, I'm sure this is unbearable.

Put a couple million pogies into a small body of really warm water in the middle of summer and this is the result. No oxygen = dead pogies + really bad smell.

Orange Beach: "Unfortunately, massive schools of alewife (also called LY), which are a sensitive fish species that congregate in large numbers, have arrived at the same as these conditions have developed."

The bait fish we call LY's are actually a Scaled Sardine, not an Alewife.

Alwives' General range—

Gulf of St. Lawrence and northern Nova Scotia south to North Carolina, running up into fresh water to spawn; landlocked races also exist in Lake Ontario, in the Finger Lakes of New York, and in certain other fresh-water lakes.
Alewife

Some Scaled Sardines also die in these conditions, but not enough to deplete the bait supply at the pier.

I'm ready to look down from the pier at a black school of 2 to 3 inch ly, jumping into my ribbon rig to throw into a cool, SE October breeze with big Spanish or gator trout gobbling them up when they hit the water. Booking a condo today...

Originally Posted by Rich1

I'm ready to look down from the pier at a black school of 2 to 3 inch ly, jumping into my ribbon rig to throw into a cool, SE October breeze with big Spanish or gator trout gobbling them up when they hit the water. Booking a condo today...

Hush yo' mouf. You gwineter make dis' here mule kick down de stall.