BajaNomad

Baitfish die-off happening now in Coyote Bay

Pompano - 4-4-2011 at 05:07 AM



This was the scene that greeted me yesterday as I walked across my seaside patio to the seawall....it kind of surprised me! Wow...



Thousands of silver scad baitfish littered the shoreline for hundreds of yards in both directions...and more were floating ashore on the waves and tide.




I can only surmise at this point what may have caused this massive die-off of just this particular school of baitfish.

Any thoughts or facts out there?

I am guessing something related to water temps, an algae bloom created toxin, a curse from Neptune.......or the radiation from Japan's leaking nuke plants. :?:



















Not much was eating these washed-up baitfish...just 1 or 2 buzzards...and this ravan, who kept taking one dead fish away at a time and returning shortly for another. Must be a hoarder...


The raven surprised me by flying by so close...and I was unable to focus for this quick shot.


This event kind of reminds of a similar scene on this beach in 1988. That was a huge die-off of small red crabs (known locally as langostinos). Those red crabs died and washed up on all the beaches from here to Loreto..who knows how many millions died? All our beaches had a 3-foot-wide red swath of dead crabs. Again..nothing was eating them.


Hope we can solve this baitfish mystery. Any ideas?


Cypress - 4-4-2011 at 05:19 AM

Maybe seiner spilled his catch?

capt. mike - 4-4-2011 at 06:01 AM

biblical plague? pestilence? sun spots?

fishabductor - 4-4-2011 at 06:41 AM

This recently happened in ca...before the nuke leak.

they figured it was too many fish in a same location and the fish depleted the oxygen supply.

I hope it's not the nuke leak...:fire::fire::fire: I h8 nuke power plants may there never be another!

mulegemichael - 4-4-2011 at 07:05 AM

when we drove by and flew over the bay on friday we saw gigantic schools of bait as far as the eye could see...more than i ever remember seeing....we also saw huge swirls of brown and red algae everywhere so there might be a tie in here..that would be my guess.

fishabductor - 4-4-2011 at 07:08 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by mulegemichael
when we drove by and flew over the bay on friday we saw gigantic schools of bait as far as the eye could see...more than i ever remember seeing....we also saw huge swirls of brown and red algae everywhere so there might be a tie in here..that would be my guess.


Hopefully they just depleted the oxygen supply...or died of sex overdose...Maybe the bait was having a giant orgy.

BajaGringo - 4-4-2011 at 08:10 AM

Somebody poured out all their rum in the bay?

Pompano - 4-4-2011 at 08:16 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaGringo
Somebody poured out all their rum in the bay?


Hah!...Ron, that just made me spit come coffee!! :bounce:

oldlady - 4-4-2011 at 08:19 AM

Me too, a typical "Ron Rico"!

BajaBlanca - 4-4-2011 at 08:23 AM

Ron - that is funny ...

drzura - 4-4-2011 at 08:45 AM

Probably caused by the nuke leak in Japan.... What is the water temperature down there now?

Skeet/Loreto - 4-4-2011 at 09:26 AM

Pomp:
I remember other "Die-offs" from Mulege To South of Loreto and most of the Old time Mexicano Fisherman claimed that it was a Lack of Oxygen from such a Mass of Fish.

Notice some of them have their Mouth open as if they were trying to suck in Air??

Russ - 4-4-2011 at 09:26 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cypress
Maybe seiner spilled his catch?


There was a seiner making sets out there the day before and the wind was right to blow spillage or dumped nets that way. Lots of bait everywhere right now and if there are plankton blooms I think that maybe the cause. Nothing on our beaches yet.:?:

AmoPescar - 4-4-2011 at 12:09 PM

Usually these type of die offs are caused by a lack of oxygen due to something like an algae or plankton bloom.


Miguelamo :?: :yes:

Lauriboats - 4-4-2011 at 01:00 PM

I predict a big earthquake in the Sea of Cortez within the next two weeks. :lol:

BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 4-4-2011 at 01:11 PM

Hola, had the similar type of thing in redondo beach harbor with blankets of dead sardines.

possible cause....domoic ( ? ) poisening something or other ?

hasn't happened again since.

BIEN SALUD, DA RAT

mcfez - 4-4-2011 at 05:55 PM

signs of environmental stress