Local News
These groups of dead fish may make for an odd sight, but officials say it’s actually part of a natural seasonal event.
Groups of dead fish have recently been spotted washing ashore at Leverett Pond on the line between Boston and Brookline. Lane Turner/The Boston Globe
Large groups of dead fish have been spotted in Boston and Worcester. It may make for an odd sight, but wildlife officials say there’s no reason to be alarmed.
Over Memorial Day weekend, park rangers responded to several reports about these groups, which they can “fish kills.” Numerous dead fish were seen at Leverett Pond, located on the border of Boston and Brookline, and along the Muddy River to the Back Bay Fens, a Boston Parks and Recreation Department spokesperson told Boston.com.
City residents were quick to take notice too, with one Reddit user sharing that they saw “at least 10-15 bloated and floating fish corpses” in the Charles River Esplanade. A MassWildlife spokesperson told Boston.com that it’s possible the animals floated downstream from Leverett Pond, but it may have also been a separate instance.
Massachusetts Environmental Police were “notified and not initially concerned,” but park rangers, MassWildlife, and the Town of Brookline will continue to monitor the situation. Fish kills are a natural seasonal event, according to Boston Parks and Recreation.
“As warm weather arrives, ponds heat up and oxygen levels in the water can decrease, which can stress fish populations and occasionally result in seasonal fish kills,” a Parks and Recreation spokesperson told Boston.com. “At this time, there is no indication of a public safety concern.”
Spring and summer are also the time of year when most warmwater fish species begin to spawn, according to the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife website. The biological competition in crowded waters can further contribute to fish kills.
“Large numbers of these species crowd in the shallow waters along the shore vying for the best spawning sites. These crowded areas are susceptible to disease outbreaks,” the website reads. “The result is an unavoidable natural fish kill, usually consisting of one or two species of fish.”
The fish in Leverett Pond were mostly common carp that recently spawned, leaving them weaker and more vulnerable to stress from the low oxygen levels, according to MassWildlife. The low water levels were likely also a contributing factor to the fish kill.
A much larger fish kill, numbering nearly 1,000 of the animals, was spotted at University Park in Worcester over the weekend, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported. Similarly, this fish kill was caused by “low water levels and high temperatures resulting in low dissolved oxygen,” according to MassWildlife.
Anyone who spots a fish kill and wants to report it can do so by contacting the Massachusetts Environmental Police at 1-800-632-8075.
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