Sardines Suffocate in Ventura Harbor

For the second time in as many months, thousands of fish are dying in a California harbor.

This time, however, the die-off isn't in Redondo Beach; it's in Ventura Harbor, according to a report from the Ventura County Star.

The VC Star reported that sardines and anchovies—more than 1,000 of them—were found dead at around 6 a.m. Monday. Officials believe the cause is lack of oxygen.

Nevertheless, officials said it doesn't appear to be nearly as bad as the sardine die-off in King Harbor in March, where 2.5 million sardines—about 175 tons—were trapped in the harbor and suffocated.

Professor Dave Caron, who teaches biology at the University of Southern California, told Redondo Beach officials that he and his team discovered domoic acid in the King Harbor sardines. Domoic acid is a neurotoxin that can cause disorientation.

There's no word yet on whether scientists have detected domoic acid in the fish that died in Ventura Harbor.