Hood Canal hits critical stage (very low dissolved Oxygen) | Seattle P-I

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Hood Canal hits critical stage
Lethal decline in oxygen levels could kill fish this summer

By LISA STIFFLER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Warning to Hood Canal's underwater creatures: Head for more hospitable waters before it's too late.

Tests show that the amount of dissolved oxygen in the fjord has dropped to near-lethal levels -- and the problem is likely to get worse this summer, state officials said yesterday.

"The prediction that we're getting is that there's a pretty high likelihood that we will have a fish kill this summer again," said Mary Lou Mills, marine ecosystem manager with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Oxygen levels this spring in Hood Canal were the lowest measured at this time of year in five decades, according to data from the state Ecology Department. Based on past trends, the levels will continue to drop in the weeks ahead.

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