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Iceland: Fish Suffocate in Fjord

March 11, 2013

Iceland is currently seeing an environmental disaster affecting its fish stocks. Around 50,000 tons of herring have died in a fjord there, and are now rotting away after being washed up on its banks.

https://p.dw.com/p/17vAH
Baggern beseitigen Tausende Tonnen toter Heringe im Kolgrafafjord. Als Ursache des Massensterbens wird vermutet, dass der Heringsschwarm in dem kleinen Fjord aufgrund der Windstille nicht genug Sauerstoff bekam. Zulieferung: Nina Laurinkari Deutsche Welle Studio Brüssel
Image: BR/Euroblick

Experts suspect that low levels of oxygen are to blame for the mass of dead fish. What’s more, the oil excreted by the herring can in turn become a danger for birds by clogging up their feathers and wings. We take a look at what the local community is doing to get rid of the problem.

Baggern beseitigen Tausende Tonnen toter Heringe im Kolgrafafjord. Als Ursache des Massensterbens wird vermutet, dass der Heringsschwarm in dem kleinen Fjord aufgrund der Windstille nicht genug Sauerstoff bekam. Zulieferung: Nina Laurinkari/ Deutsche Welle Studio Brüssel
Image: BR/Euroblick