Aquaculture for all

Low Oxygen levels to Blame for Mass Herring Deaths

Health Water quality Sustainability +4 more

ICELAND - Low oxygen levels are being being blamed for the death of 30 thousand tons of herring in Kolgrafafjordur fjord back in December 2012 and January 2013.

Lucy Towers thumbnail

The Marine Research Institute (MRI) of Iceland has been working on the case to find the cause of the mass fish kill.

Studies by the MRI have examined the temperature, salinity and oxygen levels of the sea.

Temperature and salinity in the inner fjord were very homogeneous. Temperatures ranged from 2.1-2.4ºC and salinity from 33.5-33.7.

The outer part of the fjord showed greater variability in temperature and salinity. Temperature ranged from 2.6 to 3.7 C and salinity ranged from 33.8 to 34.6.

Oxygen concentration in the inner fjord were seen to be very low, around 2 ml / ll. The outer part of the fjord also had low concentrations.

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