The bloom was detected in late July within the Oakland and Alameda areas, and lifeless fish have since washed ashore within the bay in addition to at Oakland’s Lake Merritt, California fish and wildlife division spokesperson Jordan Traverso stated.
“It is estimated that 10,000 yellowfin gobies died … in addition to lots of of striped bass and lots of of sturgeon,” and the bloom in all probability is impacting all aquatic species within the space “to a point,” Traverso stated.
Algae blooms and lifeless fish had been reported not solely alongside the Oakland and Lake Merritt shorelines, but additionally “for a lot of miles to the north and south alongside the shoreline,” Oakland’s launch reads.
Exactly what killed the fish wasn’t instantly identified, but it surely’s “probably associated to dissolved oxygen ranges and/or toxins produced by the algal bloom,” Traverso stated.
The reason for the bloom additionally wasn’t clear. Oakland’s authorities cited a number of potential sources and contributing circumstances.
“Present analysis means that the rising temperatures and altering precipitation patterns attributable to local weather change are a catalyst for his or her development,” the submit continued.
The state fish and wildlife division is working to pattern strategic areas to “confirm the extent of the hurt to fish and aquatic species,” Traverso stated.
Oakland’s public works division and its water board detected “low ranges of contaminants related to dangerous algae blooms” in Might, the town stated. The town then posted indicators warning lake guests that dangerous algae is perhaps there, and to not contact the water, it stated.