Good morning, seasoned citizens!
Here's a rather amusing result of our most recent unpleasantness:
http://www.wect.com/story/39153334/firefighters-wash-dead-fish-off-stretch-of-i-40
Somehow, of all the things that might be listed in a firefighter's job description, I doubt "hosing fish off highway" would be among them. But there you are; kudos to the guy at the NCDOT who thought to call in the fire department to get the fish slick cleared away before they opened the road to traffic.
Equally amusing to me is the online speculation as to how these fish wound up on the roadway. Some are going on about storm surge, others supporting "red tide." Here's the problem with both of those theories: this area is 20 or more miles inland, and those are freshwater fish. Others are talking about toxic waste in the water.
My theory? Water that is only inches deep, on top of a 4-lane highway in sunny weather at a time of year with daytime highs near 90°, is going to be very warm. Add to that an astonishing amount of rotting vegetable matter, and you're going to have very low oxygen levels in the water. I think the fish simply suffocated. Not as dramatic as storm surge or toxic waste, but that's my 2 cents, and I'd be willing to bet that if any of these fish were collected and tested, that would be the conclusion.
Here's a rather amusing result of our most recent unpleasantness:
http://www.wect.com/story/39153334/firefighters-wash-dead-fish-off-stretch-of-i-40
Somehow, of all the things that might be listed in a firefighter's job description, I doubt "hosing fish off highway" would be among them. But there you are; kudos to the guy at the NCDOT who thought to call in the fire department to get the fish slick cleared away before they opened the road to traffic.
Equally amusing to me is the online speculation as to how these fish wound up on the roadway. Some are going on about storm surge, others supporting "red tide." Here's the problem with both of those theories: this area is 20 or more miles inland, and those are freshwater fish. Others are talking about toxic waste in the water.
My theory? Water that is only inches deep, on top of a 4-lane highway in sunny weather at a time of year with daytime highs near 90°, is going to be very warm. Add to that an astonishing amount of rotting vegetable matter, and you're going to have very low oxygen levels in the water. I think the fish simply suffocated. Not as dramatic as storm surge or toxic waste, but that's my 2 cents, and I'd be willing to bet that if any of these fish were collected and tested, that would be the conclusion.