- The following Associated Press item recently appeared
on MSNBC:
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- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40961721/ns/us_news-environment/?gt1=43001
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- It's a continuation of a trend that has been developing
in recent weeks--a major anti-conspiracy piece even appeared on the official
U.S. Government website--proactive anti-conspiracy hit pieces. This one
takes the cake for putting the old maxim about the best defense being a
good offense.
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- The piece, by a Mr. Seth Borenstein, first lumps
all fish and bird kills together, says these are all perfectly normal,
and ends by blaming evil fear mongers, using newfangled technologies like
the Internet and call phones, for spreading an unwarranted panic.
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- Mr. Borenstein, as someone who covered biology
news for a living for many years, I can tell you that it is NOT normal
for fish die-offs of this magnitude to occur in so many places in such
a short time span. In fact, some six (6) months ago I predicted exactly
this scenario. I was not trying to create a panic because I said it before any
fish were dying. (I am reserving judgement on the bird kills as I do not
have sufficient information to make an intelligent conclusion, and neither
do you, Mr. Borenstein.)
- My reasoning was simple, the massive amounts of
oil released by BP in the Gulf of Mexico would ensure that some portion
of it would be spread around the world by ocean currents. This would lead
to increased microbial activity, oxygen depletion, the occurrence of localized
to widespread "dead zones" and possible toxic algae "red
tides".
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- I did not anticipate two things. One was the
large-scale use of Corexit dispersant. This has the effect of sinking
heavier oil fractions but allowing lighter fractions to vaporize and come
back down to earth in rainfall. I also did not anticipate that the Gulf
current might be shut down by this massive blanket of oil. Something that,
apparently has happened as evidenced by the unanticipated cold waves in
England and the rest of Europe (normally warmed by this current). Several
credible researchers have proposed this very "climate change"
scenario as being well underway.
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- Massive kills of
snapper in New Zealand, millions of dead fish in Chesapeake Bay, 100,000
drum fish dead in Arkansas, dead menhaden (bunker) rafts in South Carolina,
and 150 tons of red tilapia in Vietnam--all in a very short time period.
(OK--I'll concede to Borenstein the 40,000 dead crabs in England--that
probably was due to the cold water, which may be a result of BP's oil gusher
in the Gulf altering natural ocean currents and affecting the Jet stream.)
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- The fish kills are not a coincidence and, I'm
beginning to think, the lame excuses for why the fish died also may not
be. Well fed snappers in New Zealand do not die of starvation; menhaden
(bunker) range up to Maine and Nova Scotia and can take cool water; sick
fish generally do not just suddenly die en masse--distressed
fish are often seen first; state fisheries biologists do not (normally) say
fish died of disease and then say they should be left around for wild animals
to eat; and, as for overpopulation, where is your evidence that any
of these fish populations was excessive, Mr. Borenstein?
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- Since the BP oil release there has been a pattern
of such fish kills. Saying that die offs are not normally reported is
an admission by Borenstein that we are seeing a deviation from
the normal. Massive fish die offs could lead to the deaths of tens or
even hundreds of millions around the world through starvation. I think
an alert, rather than a comatose public (as Borenstein's article seems
to prefer) is vital to ensure that politicians are ready and willing to
deal with collateral damage. Some things (like crude oil) cannot always
be swept under the carpet. In this case, the world's oceans.
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- ###
- Thomas G. Mysiewicz was editor-in-chief of BioEngineeing
News from 1980 through 1993.
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