Underwater video of low dissolved oxygen event in Hood Canal

See: http://wdfw.wa.gov/hab/hood_canal_oxygen.htm

Over the past several years, low-oxygen events in Puget Sound's Hood Canal have caused significant die offs of marine life, including multiple species of fish, shellfish and invertebrates. While low-oxygen levels are not new, these low-dissolved oxygen events have become more frequent and longer lasting in recent years.

Hood Canal is an underwater fjord where normal oxygen exchange in the water takes place slowly because of the depth of the water and the canal's shape. Nitrogen entering the water from human sources stimulates algae blooms in the canal. When algae decomposes, it absorbs oxygen from the water. Under certain weather and wind conditions, the level of life-sustaining dissolved oxygen in the water drops so low that fish and other underwater species suffocate.

Parts of Hood Canal are prime habitat for slow-reproducing species, such as rockfish and lingcod. These fish are most susceptible to low-oxygen events because they normally live as long as 25 years before reproducing offspring.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) filmed underwater conditions in Hood Canal during a Sept. 19, 2006, low-oxygen event. This underwater video was filmed near Sund Rocks on the west side of Hood Canal by WDFW Research Scientist Wayne Palsson.

WDFW is monitoring conditions in Hood Canal and is working to improve and restore Puget Sound's habitat as a sponsor of the Puget Sound Nearshore Partnership and an active participant in Gov. Christine Gregoire's Puget Sound Initiative.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• fish
• kill
• oxygen
• hood
• canal
• puget
• sound
• washington
• wdfw
• environment
• nearshore

[jaedehunter]

Most of it is caused from polluted stormwater runoff. Everyone seems to think their little lot doesn't matter but many little lots collectively do. The solution is a community effort. People don't like to work together.

[happinesson]

If human can't take good care of our body of water..can somebody invent an oxygen for the fish to use in the future? Poor underwater creature...

[xlr8up]

Blame corrupt oil companies like Obama's little pals at BP, they hide their dirty oily deeds with little to no media coverage, and I'm not talking the Gulf Spill, coverage of that dirty-deed was unavoidable because it was so close to shore, but do you have any idea how many deep-water spills BP and other oceanic strip miners have caused?

1000's of spills 'little people,' like you and I will never be privy to because Obama mandated non-disclosures agreements that aide Big Oil to hide spill-data!!

[toaster576]

this is bad and i live there i go ther all the time

[UWVIDEO1]

It is horrible what we are doing to our oceans. The most significant insight never seems to be considered "we are next".

[rich2rock]

@johnysquid It doesn't seem to matter if you have enough money to do what ever you want to do.

[karenl1234]

tey used lots of fertilizers in valdez cleanup that projected lack of oxygen in future oil fertilizer run offs boats what to do? this is horrible!

[Goodness250]

Alright bastards, this has to be said: If you have a motorized boat, pull it out of the canal. Period. It should be against the law at this point.

[deepblueeco]

It's actually not a normal cycle, not when it's happening so frequently and all over the world. A little rain has nothing to do with it.... This is caused by pollutants, fertilizers & sewage runoffs into the ocean, increasing phosphorus and nitrogen, which ignite algae blooms and then when they go through the life cycles and decompose it uses up the oxygen in the water. The deeper water then becomes a dead zone.

[johnysquid]

What exactly is the answer? Less traffic from commercial boats? That kills commerce. Less recreational boat traffic? Fine more people should learn to sail anyway. Tighter regs on industry and waste disposal going into the sound? Good luck getting past lobbyist and legislature. It's the same old crappy thing. There is seemingly no balance to be had. And the suits with the money always win over the guys in the flannel trying to do the good thing.