{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1806331,
        "msgid": "fish-die-offs-surge-as-earth-boils-ahead-of-schedule-1781614304",
        "date": "2026-06-16 18:45:00",
        "title": "Fish Die-Offs Surge as Earth 'Boils' Ahead of Schedule",
        "author": "",
        "source": "CNBC",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Environment",
        "summary": "Mass fish deaths are being reported across the United States due to extreme heat and low oxygen levels in lakes and rivers. Scientists warn that climate change is making such events more frequent, with the phenomenon occurring unusually early this season. The die-offs coincide with the second-hottest May on record, raising concerns ahead of an anticipated severe El Ni\u00f1o summer.",
        "content": "<p>Extreme heat across various regions of the United States is causing\nmass fish die-offs in lakes and rivers. Thousands of dead fish,\nestimated at around 1,000 bluegill and crappie, were removed from Lake\nComo in Minnesota last weekend after dying en masse due to low oxygen\nlevels, a side effect of rapidly rising temperatures. In southern\nArizona, wildlife officials have indefinitely closed public access to\nLake San Carlos after drought conditions led to a mass die-off affecting\nnearly 100 per cent of the fish population. Meanwhile, in Massachusetts,\nthe Charles River became the site of a mass die-off of carp after a\npre-summer heatwave exhausted the fish, which were already stressed from\nspawning. In an interview, Marielena Lima, River Science Programme\nManager at the Charles River Watershed Association, said the mass\ndie-off was \u2018quite striking\u2019 for this time of year. \u2018This fish kill is\nhappening too early. It usually happens in late summer when it\u2019s really\nhot. But we\u2019ve been in a drought for months now, so I think it\u2019s just a\ncombined effect of different factors on the fish in our watershed,\u2019 she\nstated. While mass fish kills are not a new phenomenon and are not\nalways caused by extreme heat, experts note a changing pattern. Britta\nBelden, monitoring and research division manager at the Capitol Region\nWatershed District, explained that individual species populations\nnaturally experience booms and busts in lakes. However, she added that\nhotter summer temperatures due to climate change could make fish kills\nmore frequent. \u2018The best we can do is continue to support the health of\nthe lake and its ecosystem,\u2019 Belden said. A recent study estimates that\nmass fish die-offs will surge dramatically in the coming years, as the\ncorrelation between extreme heat and fish mortality becomes impossible\nto ignore. Notably, these die-offs occurred after May was recorded as\nthe second-hottest month in human history, with global air temperatures\n2.55 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial averages. Leading climate\nscientists indicate this is just the beginning, as the upcoming summer\nof 2026 appears set to be one of the hottest on record, coinciding with\na major oscillation in the El Ni\u00f1o cycle.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fish-die-offs-surge-as-earth-boils-ahead-of-schedule-1781614304",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}