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Eyes on the Bay

Water Temperatures and the Recent Bay Fish Kill
Chesapeake Bay Experiences Record Low Temperatures for December 2010.
Annapolis , Maryland ( January 5, 2011 )

An estimated 2 million fish have been reported dead in the Chesapeake Bay from the Bay Bridge south to Tangier Sound, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), which investigates the causes of fish kills in conjunction with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The dead fish are primarily young of the year (<1 year old) spot, with some juvenile croakers. A full account of the story is available via a Baltimore Sun news story. MDE fish kill investigators are attributing the die-off to cold stress where these species did not migrate away from the region and became susceptible to abnormally cold water. DNR's Eyes on the Bay water quality data from December 2010 confirms unusually cold water temperatures in the Chesapeake Bay. Bottom dissolved oxygen levels from DNR's long-term Bay monitoring program are all in acceptable ranges, but most Chesapeake Bay stations' surface water temperatures were at historically (1985-2009) recorded lows (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

For up to date information on all of Maryland's harmful algal blooms and water quality, please visit Eyes on the Bay at www.eyesonthebay.net

The Chesapeake Bay Safety and Environmental Hotline is a toll-free phone number for Maryland citizens to call to report a problem on the tidal portions of Maryland's portion of the Chesapeake Bay as well as the Coastal Bays. One phone call will now direct citizens to the appropriate agency to make a report 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Effective immediately, 1-877-224-7229 will allow citizens to report any of the following:

• Boating accident or reckless activity
• Fish kill or algal bloom
• Floating debris that poses a hazard to navigation
• Illegal fishing activity
• Public sewer leak or overflow
• Oil or hazardous material spill
• Critical area or wetlands violation
• Suspicious or unusual activity

The public and physicians are also asked to call this number in the event of human illness believed to be associated with algal blooms and fish kills.