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Crabs, eels and other bottom dwellers flock to surface of Gulf's 'dead zone'
10:55 AM CDT on Sunday, July 29, 2007
COCODRIE, La. -- Crabs, eels and other bottom dwellers are flocking to the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. The reason—too little oxygen in their usual habitat.
Scientists say the oxygen-poor “dead zone” off the Louisiana and Texas coasts isn’t as big as predicted this year, but it’s still the third-largest ever mapped.
Scientists say research crews often see swarms of crabs swimming up top when the oxygen is low. Eels, on the other hand, are much less common. They usually live in sediments 60 to 70 feet below the surface.
The nearly eight-thousand-square-mile area with almost no oxygen is about the size of Connecticut and Delaware together. It happens when fresh water from the Mississippi River floats above heavier salt water in the Gulf.
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