Tens of thousands of fish dying in N.C. after storm

EDENTON, N.C.

Nearly a week after Hurricane Irene roared through, tens of thousands of fish are dying in North Carolina rivers.

"This could end up being worse than it was after Hurricane Isabel," said Chad Thomas, coastal fisheries supervisor with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

Rafts with thousands of dead fish have been seen floating in the Roanoke, Tar and Neuse rivers.

Minor and spotty fish kills are showing up in the Scuppernong, Chowan, Perquimans and other rivers.

This is just the beginning, Thomas said. Over the next week, hundreds of thousands of fish will die, severely damaging the recreational fishing industry for two or three years, he said.

Waterfront towns like Edenton and Plymouth could lose significant revenue from canceled largemouth bass fishing tournaments. A large raft of dead fish floats near a town park in Greenville.

Since Sunday, biologists have seen oxygen levels fall to 1 milligram per liter or less in most river systems. Normal levels are at 4 to 5 milligrams per liter. Freshwater river fish such as largemouth bass can tolerate levels as low as 2 or 3 milligrams per liter, Thomas said. In the late summer, oxygen levels are already low.

A big storm washes organic material such as leaves and limbs into the rivers. The material sucks up oxygen as it decomposes. Similar fish kills happened after Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and Isabel in 2003.

"There is so much organic matter coming down," Thomas said. "It happens all of a sudden, like a big flush."

Some adult fish made it to the sounds, where oxygen remains plentiful. Some striped bass have died, but the main run of adults enter local rivers in the spring.

"If there is a ray of sunlight here," Thomas said, "the systems are resilient, and they will recover."

Jeff Hampton, (252) 338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com