North Carolina's Neuse River Rapid Response Team cited high water temperatures and low dissolved oxygen levels as factors contributing to the death of approximately 161,500 spot and croaker fish south of New Bern, N.C., over the weekend. A combination of algae blooms and high temperatures may have been responsible for the low oxygen conditions, a release said.
The kill occurred on the south side of the Neuse River in a shallow cove approximately 6.5 miles south of New Bern and 2.7 miles north of Flanner’s Beach. The team received a call about the kill around noon on Sunday, the release said.
The fish kill consisted of mostly juvenile fish, one to four inches long. Meters located off Flanner’s Beach indicated that dissolved oxygen levels dropped to the point it becomes potentially lethal to fish. The response team recorded water temperatures above 90 degrees.
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