14 DAY TRIAL // About two weeks ago, approximately 233,000 gallons of molasses worked their way into Hawaii's Honolulu Harbor, “courtesy” of a faulty pipe.
Conservationists and wildlife researchers now say that the molasses has sunk to the bottom of the harbor, and is suffocating local marine wildlife. Live Science tells us that, first off, the molasses has displaced water, meaning that fish, crustaceans and coral reefs living on the bottom of the ocean no longer have access to oxygen.
Besides, bacteria are pretty much thriving in the area, seeing how the sugary goo is quite an appealing source of nutrients for them. In time, this is likely to lead to the formation of bacterial blooms that will take care of sucking up whatever oxygen is still left in the water.
Lastly, specialists say that the molasses clogs the gills of whatever fish chance to come in contact with it, thus making it impossible for them to breathe.
“It's affecting all levels of the food chain,” marine biologist Keith Korsmeyer with the Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu told the press.
Specialists say that, apart from waiting for the molasses to dissolve and/or be eaten by bacteria and remove dead fish from the water, there is not much they can do.