More than 1,000 fish were found dead yesterday in the second fish kill in two weeks, this time in Wickford Cove.

John Torgan, of Save the Bay, said he could see at least 80 dead menhaden near the bridge for Route 1A in Wickford village in North Kingstown shortly before noon, and he suspected there were hundreds more.

Shortly after noon, Torgan toured deeper into the cove with the local harbormaster and reported at least 1,000 dead fish were on the bottom

“The good news is there are thousands of live ones in here, too,” Torgan said. “It’s just a very productive place.”

Last week, Torgan and others at the nonprofit environmental group documented a similar fish kill in upper Narragansett Bay. Both were attributable to low oxygen conditions that often develop this time each summer as water temperatures increase and algae dies off.

Torgan said Save the Bay received numerous telephone calls from people who said they saw the menhaden swim into the harbor, and then thrash about and die when they reached areas with low oxygen.

“People are really upset by this because they saw it happen right before their eyes,” said Torgan. “These are natural occurrences, but they also show that these embayments are stressed. Coves like this are the most productive parts of the Bay, but that also makes them the most vulnerable.”

— Journal Environment Writer Peter B. Lord