Hundreds Of Fish Dying In Merrimack River

NORTH ANDOVER, MA -- The Merrimack River is more than likely undergoing a natural "fish kill" that has left hundreds of dead carp on the shores of the river, according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife. The affected area stretches from at least Haverhill to Dracut, but testing by the department shows no elevated levels of hazardous materials or toxins. Instead, higher water temperatures, depleted oxygen levels and the stress of swimming upstream to spawn likely caused the natural deaths of the fish, the state said.

"It was a natural event. The fish do go under a lot of stress when they spawn," John Sheedy, Mass Wildlife's northeast district fisheries manager, told the Eagle-Tribune, which first reported this story.

For more on this story, see the Eagle-Tribune. Subscribe to North Andover Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

Patch file photo.