Sea creatures flee oil spill, gather near shore

[Robbien]

Source: AP

GULF SHORES, Ala. — Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish congregate by the thousands off an Alabama pier. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes, never to be seen again.

Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster are seeing some strange — and troubling — phenomena.

Fish and other wildlife are fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast. But that is not the hopeful sign it might appear to be, researchers say.

The animals' presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted, and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen. Also, the animals could easily get devoured by predators.

"A parallel would be: Why are the wildlife running to the edge of a forest on fire? There will be a lot of fish, sharks, turtles trying to get out of this water they detect is not suitable," said Larry Crowder, a Duke University marine biologist.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gEsS5h6C_l_Ndr7VMsRzKLN9qNdgD9GCIK304

[Poll_Blind]

1. This is really scary and sad to me: They are running as far as they can but can't leave the water.

Imagine that hell.

PB

[dogknob]

2. I thought we were already in it.

At this rate, we will not last as long as the dinosaurs did.

[Xipe Totec]

4. What are you talking about, these ARE the dinosaurs nt

[GoddessOfGuinness]

31. If we don't, the planet will be better off.

[Captain Hilts]

7. They can't possibly understand what is happening. What relief effort is there for them?

[Poll_Blind]

8. There is none. They are nature and only know now that there world is...

...unbreathable, their gills on fire, their vision clouded and no matter how quickly they swim, and in no matter what direction, it does not matter. The whole world is infected with the floating black dots.

The black dots are floating in the water and they only know they must get away from them at all costs.

A few years ago it occurred to me, and I still believe this, that hell is not pain. Hell is being lost. These animals are lost in their own home, the world is upside down.

PB

[Captain Hilts]

9. I'm upset to fund dedicated to helping them has been set up by the govt. nt

[eowyn_of_rohan]

13. ...

Very wise words...
:cry:

[ronnie624]

58. Haunting, poetic, sad. n/t

[Uncle Joe]

56. The feds should pull out all stops to employ the fisherman to net the congregated sea life and

transport them to the Eastern Sea Coast and they had better not wait too long.

[Nihil]

61. Err ... what?

:wtf:

[Uncle Joe]

62. Here is a more detailed explanation.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8580989

[Nihil]

65. I agree with .4 of your linked thread.

The polite answer is "It's a nice dream but you haven't thought this through".

:shrug:

[Uncle Joe]

68. If we didn't have dreams and think out side the box.

The British Army would never have left Dunkirk.

President John Kennedy would never have challenged the American People to go to the moon.

If you wish to write off most, if not all sea life; (some of which will go extinct as species) in the Gulf without trying, because trying is too difficult or poses challenges, have at it.

We can continue to write off other forms of life without regard whenever humankind commits major environmental catastrophe while expecting no major repercussion and to that approach, I say those people are in fact denying a hard reality.

Life on Earth is an intricate garment and if we keep pulling at strings saying "this one doesn't matter," or "it's not that important" at some point everything will literally fall apart, including us.

While sentimentalism or compassion may be part of the equation; in the consideration of rescuing sea life in a doomed region, don't be so rash as to write off vital self interest as a major component.

[aquart]

3. My babies. Somebody help them!

[Captain Hilts]

6. They don't vote. Even though dolphins are smarter than many voters. nt

[leveymg]

47. And sharks are smarter and more compassionate than most politicians.

:banghead:

[Captain Hilts]

5. And WHAT, if ANYTHING is anyone doing about this? !!!!!! The prez called them 'bounty'. nt

[totodeinhere]

10. This is so heartbreaking. We need to intervene in any way possible to save as many of those

unfortunate species as we can. I wish that Obama had addressed that issue more forcefully last night. We need to get the best scientific minds on this. If necessary, we need to move in equipment which will oxygenate the water so that it can accommodate a larger population.

[Selatius]

11. Most of these creatures will be long dead before the end of August or September.

For them, grim as it is to say, their world is coming to an end. These are their twilight hours.

[Coyote_Bandit]

12. All my love and warm wishes

go to these creatures who are truly innocent, without voice and most harmed in this catastrophe.

I'll judge the asshats responsible for this catastrophe and its clean-up - commercial and governmental - by the way these innocents are treated.

[kpete]

14. Oil Spill Forces Animals To Flee To Shallow Water Off Coast, Scientists Warn Of 'Mass Die-Off'

Source: Huffington Post



GULF SHORES, Ala. — Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish congregate by the thousands off an Alabama pier. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes, never to be seen again.

Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster are seeing some strange phenomena.

Fish and other wildlife seem to be fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast in a trend that some researchers see as a potentially troubling sign.

The animals' presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted, and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen. Also, the animals could easily get devoured by predators.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/16/oil-spill-forces-animals-_n_615003.html

[Solly Mack]

15. K&R

:(

[flyarm]

16. K&R for my neighbors..the marine life of the Gulf..beyond sad..it is heartbreaking! eom

[awoke_in_2003]

24. Sadly Bush was wrong...

the human being and fish cannot coexist peacefully

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Jcrk6jGfo

[FirstLight]

17. so how long does it take to die?

mildly oiled, lack of oxygen...loss of food...?

this is torture in my book...torture of thusands of different species and THIS is what breaks my heart.

I hate to say it, but I could care less about the money set aside for the fishermen,
I want the animals and habitats to become the priority, dammitt!

ya, i am silly, i care more about nature than humans...and money

[Curmudgeoness]

20. You aren't the only "silly" one.

You pose a question that I do not want to think about. I feel like I can't breathe just thinking about what they might be feeling.

[VermeerLives]

25. This is tragic all around

People are losing their livelihoods, and some of them have been in the business for generations. But I am also heartsick over the animals. It grieves me to see those pelicans covered with oil. God's heart must be breaking too over what has happened to His creation....

[zonkers]

28. Me too.

[The Blue Flower]

18. Human predators as well

The end of the article--looks like the human predators are doing their part to drive Gulf seafood to extinction also.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

21. SEAFOOD? Is that like Bounty?

[HockeyMom]

19. Wait until dead dolphins wash ashore Florida beaches

and see how many tourists and snowbirds come with all BP's money to promote tourism.

Sad and SICK, SICK, SICK.

[Webster Green]

22. BP has crews removing the carcasses in the middle of the night.

They don't want anyone seeing that kind of stuff.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

23. And they don't want to pay for what they have done/are doing

More from the article...

"Day by day, scientists in boats tally up dead birds, sea turtles and other animals, but the toll is surprisingly small given the size of the disaster. The latest figures show that 783 birds, 353 turtles and 41 mammals have died – numbers that pale in comparison to what happened after the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska in 1989, when 250,000 birds and 2,800 otters are believed to have died.

Researchers say there are several reasons for the relatively small death toll (BESIDES BP's BODY SNATCHING): The vast nature of the spill means scientists are able to locate only a small fraction of the dead animals. Many will never be found after sinking to the bottom of the sea or getting scavenged by other marine life. And large numbers of birds are meeting their deaths deep in the Louisiana marshes where they seek refuge from the onslaught of oil.

"That is their understanding of how to protect themselves," said Doug Zimmer, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The counting of dead wildlife in the Gulf is more than an academic exercise; the deaths will help determine how much BP pays in damages."

[intheflow]

26. I am absolutely positive this is true.

:grr:

[Selatius]

41. We had a dead dolphin removed from a beach here in Biloxi, MS.

The crews removing the dead fish and carcasses are private contractors working for BP.

[intheflow]

27. "Scientists Warn Of 'Mass Die-Off'" Gee, ya think?!

I wish we had a marine rescue operation in place. Certainly the dolphins could be saved at the very least.

[laughingliberal]

29. This is so distressing. The poor things. nt

[Barack_America]

30. So heartbreaking I can't even bear to imagine it.

:cry:

[glinda]

32. I made the mistake of going to Huffpo and the dolphin picture

made me sooooo upset I can't take it anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stop the bleeding! Rescue what you can!!! Stop the bleeding!!!!!!!!!!!

[HockeyMom]

54. MSNBC showing pix of dead dolphins

on a beach. Oh, how horrible. Those poor animals who were so trusting of US.

Ok, FAUX News. I dare YOU to show this to your sheep.

[CLANG]

33. Corporatists did this. We need to get rid of corporatists.

[inna]

44. I'm done with capitalism at this point, period.

Between this monstrosity and Wall Street financial terrorism... this is straight out of Marx, means of production gone wild.

Get rid of capitalism before it kills us and the planet.

[CLANG]

45. And capitalism is based on the failed premise

that of the snake swallowing it's own tail. The natural resources which we depend on are being consumed at an alarming rate. Capitalism is unsustainable.

[KansDem]

34. "Dolphins and sharks"

Isn't there some way to lure them away from danger? Like with underwater sonics?

Isn't there some kind of mating call for the dolphins or "injured fish" call for the sharks that would lead them away from the oil...and constantly lead them away to open seas and fresher water? If dolphins and sharks would follow these underwater sonics, thinking they were going after other dolphins or dinner, they could be "fooled" into leaving the Gulf.

It seems that science should be able to do something...

[stilettoart]

35. Tony Hayward, always making the good decisions

<img=100x100="">

[Beacool]

36. These are the stories that make me cry.

What have we done to this earth? We are only its caregivers. How dare we destroy it!!!

:grr:

[disillusioned73]

60. I'd call us..

unwanted guests at this point. Like the Matrix movie said, man is the cancer of this planet - unfortunately there is no cure... or is there?

[Catherina]

67. Hugs Beacool. Just a big silent hug

:hug:

[Soylent Brice]

37. unreal.

just devastating.

K&R

[lib2DaBone]

38. BP won't be able to fix this.. and put it back the way it was.. never!

I read today here on DU where 250K TOns of oily paper towels and rags used to soak up the mess.. are being dumped in the landfills.

The oil is leeching down into the drinking water supply. Scientists said the oil deposits run as much as 100 miles inland from the Gulf under the State of Alabama.

This thing is rapidly getting out of control.. where they can't see the storm brewing.

[niceypoo]

39. We can thank the ongoing use of dispersant for this one

BP is trying to hide as much oil as they can by dispersing it beneath the surface, which kills everything down below. This will $ave BP cleanup cost$ in the long term and help the bottom line! Gotta answer to those shareholders, ya know.

Let the sociopathic markets take care of it.

[leveymg]

48. Exactly. On its own, most of the oil would float on the surface and evaporate. COREXIT submerges

the oil, breaking it up into hydrocarbon droplets that are like liquid smog, choking marine life. The dispersants also contain toxic chemical compounds that break up blood cells. See, http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8560683

BP and Halliburton have turned the Gulf of Mexico into a giant vat of liquid smog mixed with blood thinner. Of course the sea life is fleeing the stuff. They know.

[htuttle]

40. This is what it looks like when an ocean dies

[NCarolinawoman]

42. I cannot stand this. I cannot forgive.

All the money in the world will never make this right again.

:grr: :cry:

[inna]

43. This actually made me cry. Absolutely heart breaking.

This is a CORPORATE CRIME, this is not an accident.

:grr:

[Odin2005]

46. Oh god...

:cry:

[glowing]

49. This is VERY alarming. Sharks and dolphins do not co-habitate.

If you have dolphins swimming, you won't find any sharks near-by. The fact that they have been thrown together in shallow waters is very disturbing.

[lonestarnot]

50. fucking A

:cry:

[Courtesy Flush]

51. Fox News reports greatly improved coastal fishing. n/t

[Juneboarder]

52. Fox Noise

Such losers...

[CountAllVotes]

53. K&R

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :mad:

:kick:

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

55. In other news the BBC was asking today if "We should feel sorry for Mr. Hayward.". nt

[superconnected]

57. I'm glad this is main stream news. It needs to be in everyones' face.

[earth mom]

59. I can barely read this thread. My heart is breaking!

:cry:

[eowyn_of_rohan]

69. The horror and sorrow is nearly unbearable

:cry:

[wordpix]

63. not surprising, unfortunately-add this to another fine for BP, destroying wildlife in the thousands

:puke: :cry:

[and-justice-for-all]

64. No words..nt

[Scout]

66. can we oxygenate the water and work on trying to transport at least

some of them to clean water, somehow???