800 tons of dead fish found near Philippine Manila

It's probably to the eutrophication (fertilizers or sewage being dumped into the water, in combination with higher water temperatures) which produces algae blooms, which removes the oxygen from the water, which suffocates/kills the fish.

Unfortunately, it is not an uncommon occurrence around the world.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but algae is a plant and plants consume CO2 and excrete O2... so why would an algae bloom deplete O2 from the water? Wouldn't it have the opposite effect?

Nevermind, I found the answer myself via Wikipedia:
When phosphates are introduced into water systems, higher concentrations cause increased growth of algae and plants. Algae tend to grow very quickly under high nutrient availability, but each alga is short-lived, and the result is a high concentration of dead organic matter which starts to decay. The decay process consumes dissolved oxygen in the water, resulting in hypoxic conditions. Without sufficient dissolved oxygen in the water, animals and plants may die off in large numbers.

Thanks for the info! ;)

I think I've read about that place, but never been there...some very eccentric people living there, no?

I don't know if there are any people living there anymore. Google-Images for "salton sea." It is truly a disaster.

The Salton Sea is the last large water stop-over for the Pacific Flyway migration, the largest in the western hemisphere. California's Central Valley used to be full of spring (vernal) pools and other water sources the birds could use. However, agriculture and other interests has obliterated almost all of flyway water stopovers.

When the Salton Sea gets too saline, the birds won't be able to use it as a stopover, and we will see the decimation of many bird species.

A rule of thumb is this: for each species that goes extinct, two more species will go extinct. It's like a giant pyramid scheme that nobody wins.

Birds are such a tremendous resource. They keep insect populations in check, pollinate plants, provide sustained-release fertilizer where ever they go =) , and provide food for many animals (including humans).

There will be severe changes, world-wide, when the Salton Sea dies, and the resulting bird die-off occurs. I can't see anyway to avoid it.

I believe I saw a documentary about the 'Salton Sea'. If it is the same place, in the documentary it stated that the place use to be a successful vacation spot and was at one time a booming community. When the fish all died the place became a ghost town that is still inhabitable to this day.

You are correct, we are on a downward spiral when it comes to the environment. It is going to take a long time to convince deniers and by that time it maybe too late to save the planet.

I live in the Northwest Territories and love bird watching. The Northwest Territories is the nesting ground for the Whooping Crane. The other night I was shown by a friend a Horned Owl nesting. It was the first one I've seen nesting and was a great experience. I don't know if you have ever seen a Ptarmigan. They are brown in the summer and snowy white in the winter, but they are the dumbest birds you'll ever meet. They are constantly being run over because they will sit on the road in the winter, blending in to the snow covering the road and won't move even when vehicles are coming. And our Territorial bird, the Raven, the smartest bird I ever seen. They can imitate baby cries, other birds, bark like a dog, and distract animals using group stategies to steal their food.

Lately we have seen birds that have never been this far North before, like the Chestnut-collared Longspur. People actually saw a Robin for this first time in Tuktoyuktuk, which is above the Arctic Circle. Other birds that are indigenous to the North are disappearing. Watching bird migration can tell you a lot on what is happening in the environment. If we lose the birds it is all over but the crying.

I think I saw that same documentary....

Carlos, from Tom Ford's film, A Single Man:

"Sometimes awful things have their own kind of beauty."