1000's of Dead Fish Wash Up on Puerto Rico Shore
Pastor Dale Morgan
1000's of Dead Fish Wash Up on Puerto Rico Shore*
The Associated Press
Friday, October 13, 2006; 6:36 PM
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- 1000's of fish in northern Puerto Rico died
after reduced amounts of oxygen in a canal and the water becoming more
acidic, the natural resources department said Friday.
Fishermen reported scores of fish floating in the water and washing up
on the shores of Arecibo on Thursday. They complained about a strong
stench and the presence of mosquitoes, and said the water in the
Tiburones Canal had been contaminated with sewage.
"I am completely frightened by what has happened," said Rafael Pitre
Quiles, president of the Jareadito Fishermen Association in the Arecibo
area.
Fish were analyzed to see if they had died from contamination, the
island's Department of Environmental and Natural Resources said in a
statement.
"What happened is that when the estuary was blocked with sand, the
levels of oxygenation and pH were reduced to intolerable levels for
marine life," the department said. A lower pH means the water is more
acidic.
It's not clear how many fish died, though the department said there was
an extreamly "high mortality."
Workers completed an emergency dredging of the canal on Thursday to
level out the sand.
"We were able to correct this situation yesterday," the department said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has jurisdiction over the canal. The
department was seeking a permit from them to permanently dredge the
waterway and wants to rebuild the canal walls so sand will not build up
again.
Area residents have reported flooding of their homes due to the problem,
which they said has lasted several months.