Millions Of Fish Wash Ashore In Gulfport

[Ray]

Something besides oil washed ashore along a section of beach in Gulfport this week.Millions of small dead fish have washed ashore just east of Jones Park. The fish are believed to be menhaden.

Low oxygen levels in the water are typically to blame when large numbers of the tiny fish wash up dead, experts said. Harrison County leaders said it's too soon to tell if the fish-kill is related to the oil spill.“If it’s oil-related, the BP contractors will have to pick it up,” Harrison County Sand Beach Director Bobby Weaver said. “If not, we’ll dispatch a county crew to come down here and get it."By early Monday afternoon, sand beach crews started scooping up the dead fish and raking the sand. They were loaded on a dump truck and taken to the landfill.