Dead anchovies fill Santa Cruz Harbor

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    SANTA CRUZ, California (KSBW) — The Santa Cruz Harbor is working to clean up thousands of dead anchovies that have filled the water due to low oxygen levels.

“When they come into a closed area like this, it’s kind of like a fish tank that’s overstocked,” said John Hains, harbormaster. “It must be a huge meal for the seagulls.”

Hains explained that anchovies prefer shallow water this time of year, but the harbor may not have enough oxygen to support them all.

“One of the things I’m really appreciate is the way the folk here have dealt with this. They’re thinking positively. And so rather than just cleaning it up, they’ve been trying to pump oxygen into the water to keep the anchovies alive,” Hains said.

“We had so many anchovies that they just used up all the oxygen in the water and started dying off,” he continued.

Hains noted that while many anchovies are visible on the surface, there are even more at the bottom of the harbor, and more may rise in the coming days.

“We’re scooping up as many fish as we can as that happens,” Hains said.

The goal is to remove the dead anchovies quickly to prevent foul smells, pollution and damage to boats.

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