Due to the lack of oxygen, 25,000 Atlantic Menhaden, also known as pogies, have been found dead in Inner Harbor, located in Baltimore, Maryland. The fish were found from Canton to Locust Point. The current running theories are seasonal algae die off and a possible turnover event.
What Caused This?
While a specific pollution event isn’t currently connected to the die offs, nutrient runoff isn’t exactly in menhaden’s favor. Nutrient runoff includes fertilizers and waste, these nutrients cause algae to over flourish. Inner harbor is no stranger to pollution, months before the event in June and July of 2025, the Harbor Splash was cancelled due to “heavy rains that washed harmful pollutants from city streets and from sanitary sewer overflows into the…..