Kuwait launches probe after dead fish wash ashore again
Initial results show decreased oxygen concentration in sea waters
Kuwait has launched an investigation after dead fish were washed ashore in the third incident in the area in less than two months.
Several social media users posted pictures and videos of the phenomenon and said they wanted answers to explain what was happening. Kuwaiti daily Al Qabas reported on Sunday.
The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) said its scientists had gathered samples of dead fish along with samples from deep and offshore waters in Joun area (Kuwait bay) and the northern area.
The researchers have gathered the data from those two areas to calculate oxygen ratio in the waters and in the marine sediments where they also identified the current environmental status and its future effect on marine life, KISR said in a statement carried by Kuwait News Agency (Kuna).
All collected data was shared with the Environment Public Authority (EPA) after conducting a full survey in cooperation with the Public Authority of Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAFR), the statement added.
Water temperature
“The results showed a decrease in oxygen concentration in the sea waters with less than four milligrams (mg) in one litre, in coherence with the increase of the water temperature and high humidity, in addition to the increase in salinity which affected the oxygen level in water,” the statement said.
According to a recent survey and several researches, the oxygen level was below 1mg for each litre and the marine sediments in the southern area had a notable increase in marine organisms in the area which increased the consumption of oxygen and decreased its condensation in the waters, Kuna said
The bay had seen fish deaths in June 2015 and September 2014 and researches concluded that the oxygen concentration was below average with four milligrams per litre, the statement said.