Thousands of dead fish washed ashore a Florida state park beach on Friday, WPBF 25 News reports. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists believe a lack of oxygen resulted in the deaths of thousands of menhaden fish at Sebastian Inlet State Park. The officials say this type of fish is especially prone to dying from a lack of oxygen when they swim closer to shore in such large numbers.
In the week prior, around 500 drum fish were found dead in the Arkansas River, in the same location where 83,000 dead fish were discovered a month earlier on December 29th, AP reports.
After the major fish kill at the end of 2010, and the deaths of thousands of birds also reported nearby in Arkansas days later on New Years Eve, news of mass animal deaths from around the world began receiving prominent coverage, though officials have attested that the events are not connected. More birds were reported to fall from the sky across the U.S. and around the world, while similar mass fish kills were also reported worldwide.
Wildlife officials have suggested everything from extremely harsh weather to fireworks and indigestion as being responsible for the various mass animal deaths, while the USDA has taken responsibility for some of the U.S. bird deaths. According to the AP, mass animal deaths are not that uncommon.