Massive Gulf of Mexico dead zone threatens economy and water quality

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts the Gulf of Mexico’s annual summer dead zone – a low-oxygen area which can cause mass death of marine life – will grow over 40% this year compared to last summer, approaching the size of Massachusetts.

The effects of this year’s dead zone on the local economy already are becoming apparent. According to Nancy Rabalais, a Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge) marine ecologist and expert on the Gulf dead zone, fishing has slowed to a crawl in the region.

“Oysters are no longer collected,” she said. “90% of them are dead. You haul in a lot of shells just to find out they’re worthless.”

For more information, visit: https://stormwater.wef.org/2019/07/massive-gulf-of-mexico-dead-zone-threatens-economy-and-water-quality/

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