Update--October 23, 2009. The Lower Neuse Riverkeeper conducted a number of patrols today and no dead or dying fish were observed.
The Neuse/Trent River fish kill that began 65 days ago on August 12, 2009, may have finally ended. The kill, encompassing approximately 40 square miles of water killed and estimated 100,000,00 or more Menhaden. The kill started off intermittently, but on September 11, 2009, the fish began to die both day and night. This continued for 42 consecutive days until today. A running account of the kill is set forth below.
Patrols will continue over the next few week to confirm the above and observe the few remaining Menhaden as they attempt to migrate to the ocean. Further reports will be posted on this website as appropriate.
Update--October 22, 2009. Lower Neuse Riverkeeper report for today is as follows:
Nothing on Lawson Creek as far as dead fish. Seagulls are still working the water, but there are not a lot of the birds.
Trent River is clean, not even any bird activity. Nothing between the hotels.
Birds are working the water on the Neuse at Union Point Park, but did not see any dead fish from the RR bridge to Green Springs. RR bridge is still closed for repairs.
Saw approximately 20 dead fish in the Green Springs area. There were no seagulls on the Green Springs Swim Club structure.
Saw nothing from Green Springs to Flanners Beach. Did not go any further due to time constraints.
It appears that the fish kill may be over. By tomorrow, that may well be confirmed.
Update--October 21, 2009. The Lower Neuse Riverkeeper, Larry Baldwin, reported that the fish kill is continuing to wind down. Of the few fish that remain, only a few fish were observed dying. Those that were observed dead on the surface appear to be a one or two days old. Very few live schools of Menhaden were observed. Those schools that were observed were very small. There continues to be no sign of a Menhaden migration to the ocean as would typically occur this time of year from waters at and directly below New Bern.
Update--October 20,2009. Following report received from the Lower Neuse Riverkeeper today:
Spent almost 3 hours on the river today with Ken Wyman (Strike Force volunteer). We covered the Trent, Lawson Creek, and the Neuse (from RR bridge to Minnesott on both shores and across the middle of the river in a zigzag pattern. Also checked on Goose, Broad and Northwest Creeks.
Very few dead fish were spotted. There was a small raft of fish at Green Springs numbering approximately 50. They had been dead for at least 24 hours.
Along the Neuse, we would see a dead Menhaden every 150-200 feet traveled, but they were singles. No dead fish were spotted past Carolina Pines.
A few dead were seen in Lawson Creek and only three (3) were seen between the hotels. Nothing in the Trent River. Also, none were seen in any of the other tributaries mentioned.
The seagulls are still active in all areas of the watershed covered, but their numbers have decreased drastically. We did see a few small schools of Menhaden, but they quickly submerged as we got closer.
I am not quite ready to call an end to the fish kill yet, but probably by Wednesday or Thursday, it should be over. Another river run will be made tomorrow (Wednesday).
Update--October 18/19, 2009. On Sunday and Monday, reports from the New Bern area revealed that the fish kill is still taking place but the numbers of dead fish continue to decline. Floating dead fish continue to move toward the sound along the south shore of the Neuse. It appears likely that the fish kill will end in a few more days.
Update--October 17, 2009. No patrols were conducted on Saturday by water, but an inspection of the ramps and shoreline of the Neuse indicates that the fish kill may be coming to an end. The same can be said about the Menhaden. These fish, some days old and showing advanced stages of decay, were seen yesterday on the south shore of the Neuse, streaming down the river in multiple thin lines. They were all floating dead on the surface. There has been no sign of the normally large schools of healthy Menhaden from New Bern making their annual migration to the ocean. While it has not yet been fully confirmed, it appears that the vast majority (possibly all) Menhaden that attempted migration out of New Bern waters have perished.
Update--October 16 2009. A river patrol conducted yesterday afternoon revealed that the fish kill of nearly two months is coming to a close. A few dead fish could be seen at the boat ramps and along the shore. Reports from lookouts at Lawson, Northwest, Goose and Broad Creeks, as well as the Neuse and Trent Rivers, confirmed this information. The seagulls are still present in large numbers, but nothing like they were over the past weeks. With the smaller number of fish dying, the birds are now able to consume most of the dying Menhaden as they struggle near the surface. As a result, the dead fish do not accumulate in massive numbers on the surface. There is still no way to tell how many fish are still dying and settling to the bottom.
Over the past week, contact was made with two state agents from two separate state agencies involved in water quality and fish habitat protection. Both advised that they agreed with the position of the Lower Neuse Riverkeeper that low oxygen could not possibly explain what is causing the Menhaden to perish. They cited the same reasons of the Lower Neuse Riverkeeper. They are:
1. A fish kill lasting nearly 60 days, throughout varying weather conditions, must involve something more than low oxygen. During this extended period, on some days dissolved oxygen was low. On others, it was be high.
2. The Menhaden have safely made their run up all of the state's other coastal rivers. Only the Neuse in the area from New Bern to Hancock Creek has experienced this problem (30-40 square miles).
3. All other species of marine life comingled with the dying Menhaden are healthy. If low oxygen was the cause of the kill, all the fish and crabs would, to some extent, be dying.
4. Fish kills like this one with its long duration are not normal for the Neuse River.
Update--October 15 2009. The Lower Neuse Riverkeeper, Larry Baldwin, was on patrol this morning. He reported that the fish kill was similar to what he reported yesterday.
An international film crew accompanied Larry on his patrol. As the story airs internationally, maybe media sources closer to home will give it more attention.
Update--October 14, 2009. There is plenty of oxygen in the water. Yesterday, a water sampling team from UNC found normal levels of dissolved oxygen in areas where the fish are dying. Last night and today, moderate winds from the north east kept the water churning. This process adds additional oxygen to the water column. Still, the fish continued to die from New Bern in all areas previously identified. Earlier, state officials suggested that the fish may be committing suicide by schooling together in the same area. Now, most of the schools have perished and those that remain are far too small to account for that scenario.
Today, the Lower Neuse Riverkeeper had time to file this written report on what is taking place:
Lawson Creek: Hundreds of seagulls in the air, on the water and resting on the shore. They are actively feeding on Menhaden at the surface. Numerous large schools can be seen. Fish continue to die and can be seen quite clearly in the calm water. Dead Menhaden litter the surface of Lawson Creek all the way to the Trent River.
Trent River: A long line of dead Menhaden can be seen from the Trent Railroad Bridge upstream to Olde Town. Dead fish are also scattered across the surface. Four large, dead catfish were spotted among the dead Menhaden line. Not necessarily associated with the fish kill. Birds are actively feeding and Menhaden can be seen dying just below the surface. Many birds in the air, on the water and also resting on the Trent River Bridge. The Trent River is littered with dead "peanuts" (very few large Menhaden were spotted) from shore to shore extending from the entrance to Olde Town Canal to the yacht club. No dead fish were seen past Wilson Creek. Between the hotels, dead fish are scattered as well. Birds are in the air and on the water in this area.
Neuse River Railroad Bridge: The bridge is closed again today. Looking upstream past the bridge there were very few birds evident. The bridge itself held only a fraction of the seagulls over the past few weeks. Very few birds were active in this area. Some dead Menhaden could be seen on the Neuse River from shore to shore stretching from the RR bridge downstream to Union Point Park.
Neuse River Bridge: Fewer seagulls are resting on the bridge structure, and very few seagulls were visible in the air or on the water. Seagulls that are present were actively feeding. Not many dead Menhaden on the water surface.
Green Springs: Dead Menhaden are stacked against the beach. Schools can be seen beside the piers.
Neuse River from Green Springs to Flanners Beach: Not many birds in the air or on the water. There are still dead fish scattered across the river with a few heavy lines.
From Flanners Beach to Hancock Creek, thousands of Menhaden were seen all along the south shore,making their way toward the Pamlico Sound. Unfortunately, they are floating on the surface, all dead. An examination of their state of decay indicates that they are floating downstream from New Bern. A careful inspection of the area below Flanners Beach failed to reveal any active schools of Menhaden or any evidence of a migration to the ocean.
Update--October 13, 2009. Menhaden are still dying but the numbers are much smaller. There is no visible evidence of any of the Menhaden making their way to the ocean. Even the seagulls are departing. A few pictures taken on a Riverkeeper patrol are set forth below.
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Update--October 12, 2009. A Riverkeeper patrol coupled with reports from NRF Strike Force volunteers reveals that fish are continuing to die in most all areas around of the Trent and Neuse Rivers, and their tributaries, near New Bern. Further down the Neuse at Carolina Pines, schools of Menhaden were nowhere to be found. It is becoming more apparent with each passing day that none of the Menhaden from New Bern will make it out alive. For the most part, the thousands of seagulls in the New Bern area are able to consume most of the fish as the die. Less fish are observed along the shore.
This afternoon, a water sampling team from the University of North Carolina tested the oxygen levels throughout the Neuse. They orally reported that oxygen levels were normal to above normal at all locations. One specific site they tested was at the railroad bridge on the Neuse at New Bern. Upon receiving their report, the Lower Neuse Riverkeeper visited the site. There were dead and dying fish and many thousands of seagulls feasting on the fish as they died.
At Union Point Park, children could still be observed playing among the dead fish and putrid smells. Warning signs are still not posted.
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Update--October 11, 2009. On the final day of New Bern's Mumfest celebration, fish continued to die throughout the 40 square mile area of impaired waters at and below New Bern. More than 100,000,000 fish have perished and their rotting carcasses have most certainly caused bacteria levels in the river to rise. In spite of the state's existing policy to warn citizens to avoid such waters, no state, county or city official has done so. As a result, today, as they did yesterday, young children played in the putrid waters and handled the dead fish. Under these circumstances, it is difficult to understand how such officials could stand by, knowing that a potential health problem exists, and intentionally do nothing. Why, and who will be liable if injuries occur, are two questions that must be answered.
Unless otherwise labeled, all the pictures that immediately follow this update were taken today at Union Point Park, the heart of the Mumfest celebration.
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Update--October 10, 2009. The few remaining Menhaden that are left in the river continue to die through the kill zone described in the updates posted below. Dead and decaying fish were less visible then during the height of the kill two weeks ago, but they could still be easily seen at all locations.
Today and tomorrow, the City of New Bern will be celebrating its Mumfest. The streets and waterfront of the City will be full of people. Many children will likely be feeding the ducks and having contact with the water. The Lower Neuse Riverkeeper has been petitioning state officials of health and water quality to post signs appropriately warning citizens of the potential health risks associated with coming in contact with the water and the dead and decaying fish. They have refused. Based on information currently available, the state has not tested the water to determine if it is safe for human contact. No warnings have been issued.
The state's refusal to act under these circumstances is difficult to understand since they do acknowledge in their own publications that there is a potential health risk when dying or dead fish are observed. Here is what they state at page 265 of the current issue of the basinwide plan for the Neuse:
"If you see a fish kill or more than a few fish or shell fish that are dead, dying or acting erratically or have sores, follow these common sense-sense precautions:
Stay away from those waters while conditions exists. Don't go in the water.
Do not eat, use or collect any fish, crabs, other life or items from those waters.
Do not let pets swim in or eat from those waters.
If you come in contact with the water where fish or shellfish are dead, dying, appear sick, or have sores:
Remove wet clothing and keep separate from other items until it has been washed.
Wash any body part (except the eyes) that comes in contact with the waters, using soap and clean water. Rinse the eyes with lots of clear, clean water.
Use waterproof gloves when handling pets and items that have come in contact with the waters.
See your doctor or health provider if you experience any symptoms that might be caused by exposure to these waters."
Mumfest, New Bern waterfront, October 10, 2009. No health advisory or warnings posted
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Update--October 9, 2009. State officials admitted in an article published in the Sun Journal this morning that they have no accurate number for the total fish kill. They stated that have not been able to be on the water enough to fully cover the fish kill event and that they have not been able to keep up with the numbers. When they stopped counting weeks ago, they were at 13 million. The Lower Neuse Riverkeeper, Larry Baldwin, has been keeping a running estimate. His conservative number stands at 100,000,000.
The state has also admitted that they have not collected the necessary data sufficient to determine what is causing the fish to die in these massive numbers. They admit that they can only suggest a possible cause, that being, low oxygen. However, they are unable to explain why other fish under and the same oxygen levels are healthy. Wind conditions, frequently changing directions, have been sufficient to keep oxygen mixed throughout the water table where the fish are perishing. They are also unable to explain why Menhaden in all NC rivers are not suffering the same fate as those in the Neuse. What's ironic here is that the state has lots of data about the problems in the lower Neuse. And the cause of the problems. I guess the DWQ technical people aren't allowed to talk to the media.
Check out the July 2009 Neuse River Basinwide Water Quality Plan (still in draft). Chapter 10 of the plan covers the main stem of the Neuse from New Bern to the mouth of the river. Scroll through the chapter; the maps are a good overview. The problems are there in the bright splotches of red on the maps. All the supporting detail is there as well.
Chapter 24 of the Plan goes through the history of the problems in the lower Neuse starting in 1993, the still unachieved goal of lowering nitrogen in the river by 30% by 2003, etc. In talking about the source of the continuing problems, CAFOs are clearly called out for their air and groundwater pollution. In fact, swine and poultry factories are well recognized as the leading contributors of nutrients. Excessive nutrients are causing the impairment.
Update--October 8, 2009. The fish kill in the Trent reported last night has been verified. Conditions on the Neuse and Trent Rivers in the morning were windy. Many of the fish that were clustered have been dispersed by the wind. . Oxygen levels appear normal. Nevertheless, fish continue to die in the Trent and Neuse Rivers and their tributaries around New Bern. This includes Lawson, Northwest, Goose and Broad Creeks as well as the inner harbor at Fairfield.
In the afternoon, Rep Alice Underhill (NC House) became the first and only known elected official to request and receive a tour of the fish kill area. At one point near the Trent River, Lower Neuse Riverkeeper, Larry Baldwin, stopped his boat and pulled a crab pot from three feet of water directly beneath dead and dying fish. There were numerous crabs and they were all alive and well. Crabs are the river's "canary in the coal mind". Trapped in pots on the river bottom, they are usually the first to die from lack of oxygen. This is a strong indicator that the Menhaden are not dying from low oxygen.
Finally, a news advisory was issued today by the Lower Neuse Riverkeeper. It identified ammonium as a very likely contributing cause of the fish kill. It has been scientifically established that ammonium levels have increased by more than 500% over the past decade. Ammonium is a highly polluting form of nitrogen. It's presence could be a definite factor in this fish kill. The advisory can be viewed by clicking the sub page of this page entitled Fish Kill Media.
Pictures from today are posted in photo album below the updates.
Update--October 7, 2009 (8:10 pm) A report from an elected county official reveals the Trent River, one mile above the Trent River Bridge, is covered with dead Menhaden. The kill will be investigated further at first light on Thursday. At other places on the Neuse during the day, lesser numbers of dead fish were seen on the surface. This was due to strong south west winds. Still, dying fish were observed in most tributaries, including Northwest Creek, as well as the main stem of the Neuse River at New Bern and Fairfield Harbor. In spots, large numbers of fish were seen piled high on the beach. It is believed that most of the Menhaden in the Reuse and Trent Rivers around New Bern have perished. The number could be staggering.
Update--October 6, 2009 The fish kill that started in late August 2009 has continued daily through October 6, 2009. Dead and dying fish could be found throughout the Neuse and Trent Rivers near New Bern and as far down the river as Hancock Creek. This area covers more than 40 square miles.
So far, more than 50,000,000 dead fish have been scientifically documented. It is estimated that another 50,000,000 or more fish sank to the bottom before they could be counted. Some estimates of the total number of fish killed during this event now exceeds 100,000,000.
This coming weekend, thousands of residents and tourists will flood the streets of New Bern during the annual Mumfest celebration. This event takes place in close proximity to where the smelly dead fish are rotting. Yet, no one in state government has taken any action to determine if the waters are safe for contact. The Craven County Health Director has refused to test the water or warn residents and visitors to take any precautions. The State Health Director is likewise nowhere to be seen or heard from. Meanwhile, the state's Rapid Response Team and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for whom they work, are largely handling the problem by making excuses. (see subtitle icon of this page entitled "State Excuses").
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WHAT'S KILLING THE FISH?
The state has been claiming that the Menhaden fish are dying due to natural conditions related to a lack of oxygen. This position is not supported by the facts. Areas of low oxygen are very spotty. For the most part, adequate levels of oxygen are available to support all fish life. Other fish located in the area of the Menhaden fish kill are not having a problem. Even crabs, trapped in fishermen's crab pots on the river bottom (where oxygen levels are usually the lowest), are alive an well. Healthy fish, including flounder, bass and drum, are being caught in the same area where the Menhaden are dying.
In time, we will likely get to the bottom of this fish kill. Scientists, working outside of state government, are studying the data. One thing is certain, the Neuse and Trent Rivers are out of balance due to nutrient pollution. This fact, rarely mentioned by state officials, is admitted by them in reports submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency. The sources of this pollution are no secret and can be found on other pages of this website.
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ABOUT THE FISH
Menhaden, are a small but very valuable species. These fish are the main source of food for other fish. Menhaden are also filter feeders. Adult Menhaden deposit their larvae in the ocean just off the coast. That larvae then washes into the estuaries where it finds its way to small tributaries. There, the young Menhaden, called peanuts, are hatched. These young fish consume algae and store the nutrients from that algae in their bodies. In September, these young Menhaden migrate back to the ocean. In the process they export the nutrients consumed during their young life. If these Menhaden die and are left to rot in the estuary, the nutrients stored in their bodies are recycled, thereby adding to the problem of over nutrification.
Like so many fish kills of the past, this kill resulted from nutrient pollution. Fertilizer from swine and chicken factories, golf courses, stormwater runoff, wastewater treatment plants and industry are discharged into the Neuse in excessive amounts. As a result, they disrupt the river's balance causing fish to ultimately die from suffocation or from attacks of toxic dinoflagellates.
Millions of fish carpet the shoreline
Neuse Riverkeeper, Larry Baldwin, out on patrol covering the kill and counting fish. State officials are not permitted to work after regular hours and missed much of the kill.
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September 16, 2009 fish kill area near New Bern, NC
Over one billion dead fish since 1991
The lower Neuse River is a part of the Albemarle- Pamlico Sounds. Historically, these waters, separated and protected from the ocean by North Carolina's outer banks, have provided a safe environment for young fish. Most of the fish that swim the ocean waters between Maine and Florida were nursed in this estuary. For that reason, these waters have been, and remain, extremely important to the economies of the eastern coastal states.
Unfortunately, because of pollution, many of the fish that are now being nursed in the Neuse estuary, never make it to the sounds or ocean. Their lives are cut short as they either suffocate from lack of oxygen or fall victim of the killer organism, Pfiesteria (see page 4 of this website for information on Pfiesteria).
No river in this country has suffered so badly from fish kills, as has the Neuse.
In 1991, pollution claimed more than a billion fish in the Neuse estuary between New Bern and Minnesott Beach. The pungent stench produced by their rotting carcasses gagged area residents for weeks. In one place a bulldozer had to be used to bury them.
Each year since 1991, depending on the amount of runoff from animal factories and other sources, fish kills have occurred in varying degrees. In 1995, somewhere between 20 and 100 million fish were killed in the same area of the 1991 event. Nearly all of them had the same open bleeding lesions characteristic of Pfiesteria attacks, as were evident in the 1991 kill. In 2002, there were fewer fish kills. This was due to a 3-year drought where very little runoff found its way to the River.
In 2003, wet weather and its runoff of pollution returned to North Carolina's coastal plain. Not surprisingly, fish kills surfaced with a vengeance. In just two kills on the Neuse that took place on August 31 and September 4, 2003, more than 4,000,000 fish perished.
In 1991 and 1995, the state's response to fish kills was to place the blame squarely on pollution. Unfortunately, because state officials have been unable to stop pollution and its consequences, including human health problems, fish kills and their related economic impacts, they have resorted to blaming these kills on Mother Nature. Low oxygen levels and the resulting dead fish are now being blamed almost solely on hot windless days, salt wedges, wind shifts and even rain. These natural conditions have been present on the Neuse for about 2,000,000 years and there is no historical or archaeological record to support their involvement in massive fish kills. It is true that small fish kills have been reported since the early 1700s, mostly in the backwaters of the Neuse tributaries. These fish deaths were much different than the horrific kills of the past decade. The new player is nutrient pollution, the kind that comes from hog factories, wastewater treatment plants, golf courses, lawns and city streets. Nutrient pollution has also been conclusively linked to Pfiesteria related fish kills. In these kills, fish die with open bleeding sores covering their bodies. The largest fish kills related to Pfiesteria attacks occurred in the 1990s. Coincidently, this is when hog pollution was added to the other sources of nutrient pollution being discharged into the wetlands, streams, creeks and rivers of eastern North Carolina.
Pictures from these recent fish kills are set forth below. As new kills occur, this website will be updated with additional text and pictures.
Slocum Creek, September 5, 2003
Between 8:30 and 10:00 pm on September 4, 2003, more than 2 million fish, including shad, mullet, croaker, menhaden and pin fish, persihed due to a pollution related low oxygen event. The next day their bodies lay rotting over a 20 square mile area of the river. Here fish are seen blanketing Slocum Creek, a tributary of the Neuse below Carolina Pines
Other pictures from the September 4, 2003 kill
Dead fish stack themselves against the shore
A dog checks out some of the dead fish seen washing up on the shore on 9/5/03
Dead fish along the shore between Slocum and Hancock Creek on 9/5/03
9/5/03 No warning signs posted so people fished with dead fish floating in the water
Small mullet dying while trying to find oxygen in one inch of water at Carolina Pines
Dead fish are seen floating by a Riverkeeper patrol boat in Slocum Creek
Larry Baldwin, Lower Neuse Riverkeeper
Michael Handy and a camerman, both from TV Station WCTI in New Bern were on location coverning the event.
Adam Owens, WNCT TV 9 Greenville, NC 9/9/03
Fish kill of August 30, 2003
One of the best pictures of the August 30, 2003 fish kill where more than 2,000,000 died
A strange and unidentified growth was seen floating with the dead fish in the Neuse River.
More of the unidentified substance mixed with dead fish
Map of Lower Neuse
This website and all its pictures copyright protected 2003. If you wish to see other photographs or obtain copies of any of these pictures, please contact me at RDOVE@ec.rr.com
