A leak of 1,600 tons of molasses, equivalent to 223,000 gallons spilled this week in Honolulu Harbor killing hundreds of fish, as health officials warned swimmers to stay out of the water in the area for fears of sharks, Reuters reported.
By Tuesday, a leak was discovered in a molasses pipeline, which was used to load the sugary liquid onto ships operated by Matson Navigation, an international ocean transport company, the Hawaii Department of Heath said.
Matson spokesman Jeff Hull said the company was working with state and federal agencies to address the spill.
"We have sent divers into the water to monitor the effect of molasses and are taking aerial shots to monitor the movement of the molasses," Hull said. "Matson is bringing in environmental experts to help provide more resources to help support the response efforts."
The health department had posted signs on beaches warning people to stay out of the water and to not consume any dead fish found nearby.
"While molasses is not harmful to the public directly, the substance is polluting the water, causing fish to die and could lead to an increase in predator species such as sharks, barracuda and eels," the health department said in a statement.
The brown plume was spotted seeping into the harbor and Keehi Lagoon on Monday. This led to the deaths of many fish.
"This is the worst environmental damage to sea life that I have come across, and it's fair to say that this is a biggie, if not the biggest, that we've had to confront in the state of Hawaii," Deputy Director Gary Gill told KHON.
"I didn't know so many creatures were down there before, but they're all dead, and they are all laying across the bottom - hundreds and hundred, thousands," added Roger White of Cool Blue Diving, who shot footage underwater.
That plume was expected to remain visible for weeks, the department has reminded the public.
