Thousands of dead fish wash up in Oakland lake to create a putrid mess

Experts, concerned about the algae bloom that is turning the water to brown muck, say the die-off is like losing giant redwoods'

Thousands of fish carcasses have been floating up to the edges of the San Francisco Bay, and the scummy top of Oakland's Lake Merritt - stewing under the sun and wafting a putrid stench into nearby neighborhoods.

The dead bat rays, striped bass, sturgeon, anchovies and clams, are likely mass victims of an algal bloom that scientists are racing to understand. In the meantime citizen scientists, local photographers, joggers and naturalists have been capturing dramatic photos of the die off.