Why have thousands of fish died in an Icelandic fjord?
Thousands of tonnes of herring worth billions in exports have died in a small fjord in West Iceland.
The fish reportedly died in Kolgrafafjordur on the northern part of Snaefellsnes peninsula due to lack of oxygen in the fjord, which is thought to have been caused by a landfill and bridge constructed across it in 2004.
But The Globe and Mail reports that meteorologist Einar Sveinbjornsson believes the herring died from sudden cooling caused by relentless northerly winds.
According to Iceland Review biologist Róbert Arnar Stefánsson estimates 7,000 tonnes of dead herring on the shore and many more at the bottom of the fjord.
According to the Morgunbladid newspaper, the current export value of 10,000 tonnes of herring amounts to ISK 1.25 billion (£6.2million).
The Press Association reports that in December, between 25,000 and 30,000 tonnes of fish died in the Kolgrafafjordur fjord.
On Tuesday the government agreed to new funding to monitor the situation.
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