The water at the surface became too warm for the fish. Remember fish don't have temperature regulation like mammals do. When they went as deep as they could they congregated and used up all the oxygen in the water available to them. They died off.
The water has been getting warmer and warmer in the upper ocean for well over two decades. The warmer waters have forced the fish globally to find cooler habitat in waters closer to the north and south poles. This goes to prove that no ocean location is exempt from the warming.
September 27, 2019The mayors in the Coast of Bays region (click here) are responding to the recent salmon die-off on the south coast.
The mayors issued a joint news release indicating that while the incident is disappointing, it’s not “the end of the world” for the salmon industry on the South Coast.
Northern Harvest indicates the salmon died due to prolonged exposure to warmer than normal water.
Mayor of Harbour Breton, Georgina Ollerhead, says since the issue arose, senior management with Northern Harvest have been in “continuous” consultation with the community. She says the die-off is not related to a fish health issue, and was confirmed by both government and veterinary officials.
Mayor for Hermitage-Sandyville and Chair of the Coast of Bays Joint Mayors Committee, Steve Crewe, says the company is committed to the region and realizes that warmer water temperatures like those experienced in the past several weeks are becoming the norm.
He says they have every confidence that the company is prepared to take immediate steps to “prevent another environmental event like this.”
Jason Card of Northern Harvest Sea Farms says water temperatures reached 17 to 21 (62F to 70F ) degrees for 11 to 13 days.
That might not normally be an issue, but it causes problems for the fish, that have to dive to deeper, cooler waters....
