14 DAY TRIAL // Researchers warn that, in the aftermath of a massive molasses spill that hit Hawaii's Honolulu Harbor and Keehi Lagoon, the number of shark attacks in the area could drastically increase.
Molasses first started to seep into said waters on Monday. By the looks of it, its point of origin was a corroded pipe that was supposed to transport molasses from storage tanks to ships.
The rupture that caused the spill was not discovered until Tuesday. Meanwhile, approximately 233,000 gallons had already worked their way into Hawaiian waters.
Needless to say, the spill had a devastating impact on local marine ecosystems.
The Telegraph reports that cleanup crews sent to the area by the Hawaii Department of Health have thus far removed hundreds of dead fish from the area, and that, all things considered, they will probably remove thousands more in the days to come.
“Everything that was underwater suffocated,” Roger Smith, a local dive shop owner reportedly told the press.
“Everything climbed out of its hole and the whole bottom was covered with fish, crabs, lobsters, worms, sea fans – anything that was down there was dead,” he went on to say.
Specialists suspect that many sharks, barracudas, eels and other predatory marine animals will be attracted by the bodies of these creatures, and that their population in the area will significantly up over the following weeks.
They recommend that swimmers, divers and surfers stay clear of the water.
Since molasses is a sugar product (a by-product of the refining of sugar cane, to be more precise) specialists say that it will sooner or later dissipate on its own.
Otherwise put, there is not much left to be done except remove the dead fish and crustaceans from the water, and wait for things to take a turn for the better.