Thousands of pounds of dead krill wash ashore in Fortune Bay

Thousands of pounds of what's believed to be dead krill have washed ashore since Sunday evening over a roughly 10-kilometre stretch between Garnish and Frenchman’s Cove, Fortune Bay off Newfoundland's south coast. Lobster fisherman Tonya Grandy has been in contact with DFO, and department officials said the crustaceans look to be krill, which are smaller than shrimp, and the die-off may have been caused by warmer than normal water temperatures.

A spokeswoman for DFO in St. John's said Tuesday the department is aware of the reports of dead krill or shrimp in Fortune Bay, and is looking into it.

In June 2021 huge numbers of krill washed up on Long Beach, Trinity Bay, and DFO officials couldn't explain the die off.

DFO shrimp biologist Katherine Skanes said at the time it was her first time seeing the phenomenon in Newfoundland, but similar incidents had been seen elsewhere.

Thousands of migratory seabirds have been washing ashore on the Avalon and Burin peninsulas, but preliminary reports suggests the cause of death was avian flue.

Fortune Bay is also home to controversial aquaculture sites where massive die-offs have taken place in recent years.

In at least one case the company said warm water caused low oxygen levels in the water that killed the fish.

Tonya Grandy photos.

Ryan Cleary, Executive Director, SEA-NL To read more about SEA-NL, or to join the non-profit organization please visit sea-nl.ca