Gulf of Mexico dead zone July 2017
Credit: N. Rabalais, LSU/LUMCON

Scientists have found a polluted ‘dead zone’ of ocean that is larger than Wales and the biggest ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) said that this year’s Gulf of Mexico dead zone consisted of 8,776 square miles of oxygen-starved sea, covering an area significantly bigger than the 8,020 square miles of Wales.

The dead zone forms annually, mainly because of farm fertiliser pollutants washing into the Atlantic from the Mississippi River, but this year’s affected area was the largest since recording began in 1985.

The environmental campaign group Mighty Earth has blamed the meat industry for the dead zone, claiming much of the nitrate and phosphorous pollution came from fertiliser used in producing vast quantities of corn and soy to feed meat animals.

It singled out the supply chain of Tyson Foods, America’s largest meat company, for particular criticism, but the firm hit back, with a spokeswoman disputing the claims and insisting the Arkansas-based multinational was committed to protecting the environment.

The spokeswoman added: “It’s true […]