Something fishy? Underwater munitions and unexplained die offs in marine environments

Abstract

In November and December 2016, local residents around St. Mary’s Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada, noticed something alarming: thousands of dead fish were washing up along the coast. Scientists from the Canadian government’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans investigated, but the cause remains a mystery. This research note excogitates a potential cause: dumped chemical and conventional munitions. Between 1918 and 1972, most industrialized countries disposed of surplus munitions at sea. As a result, hundreds of millions of tons of corroded ordnance now pollute marine environments around the world. The article then discusses various research obstacles impeding further scholarly investigations and the possible connections between underwater munitions and the mass death of aquatic life.