A Ohio Department of Natural Resources rep said evidence suggests the fish likely died immediately after the East Palestine train derailment.
US Environmental Protection Agency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday that an estimated 43,000 aquatic animals living near the East Palestine train derailment site have since died.
Ten days ago, that number was only 3,500, Insider previously reported.
"We previously reported that 3,500 dead aquatic species comprised primarily of minnows and small fish were observed and that estimate was based on visual observation of the species collected over that two-day period at those survey sites," a representative for ODNR said.
Once the department was able to collect hard data, the confirmed total showed 2,938 aquatic animals had died in four sites where data had been collected, "so a little bit less than the initial estimate," the representative said.
The ODNR said that it used that total to produce an estimate of the total aquatic life lost as a result of the derailment.
"After receiving that final sample number of collected, dead aquatic species, ODNR Wildlife Investigators then applied a science-based calculation, one endorsed by the American Fisheries Society, applied it to that number to determine the estimated total number of dead aquatic species including those likely still in the water," the ODNR representative said.
"Once the calculation is applied, we would estimate that over the affected site, a total of 38,222 minnows were potentially killed as a result of the derailment. In addition to that, it's estimated that somewhere around another 5,550 other species were also potentially killed as a result of the derailment," she added.
The ODNR announced that it has been working with a third-party company, EnviroScience Inc., to help collect data on the number of dead fish in the area and to help remove those dead fish from the water to prevent further harm to any other animals in the area.
The agency said it responded the morning after the crash to determine the impact of the chemical spill on aquatic life, to survey the waterways for dead aquatic animals, and to collect data and specimens to inform the total.
The ODNR, in collaboration with EnviroScience, set up shop at four different data collection stations and collected samples over two days.
They estimate that over the 7.5 miles of land affected by the chemical spill from the train derailment, aquatic species were killed over a 5-mile span.
The ODNR representative said that evidence points to the fact that the fish died immediately, and there have been no signs of fish struggling since the derailment. Live fish have already begun to return to one of the sites, Leslie Run, the representative said.
"We're happy to see live fish have already returned to Leslie Run, that's a great sign. The fact that we're not seeing any fish in distress is a great sign," she said, adding that "at this point, we aren't able to put a timeline on" how long it will take for the environment around the crash site to fully recover.
