Initial estimates from earlier this month indicated around 3,500 fish died across 7.5 miles of streams. ODNR wildlife officers located dead fish in Leslie Run, Bull Creek and a portion of the North Fork of Beaver Creek when the derailment occurred.

It is strongly believed animals have died “immediately after derailment,” and so far there is no indication that any are threatened or endangered species, said Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

However, it remains to be seen how long it will take for environment to fully recover from the derailment consequences.

Mertz also explained that specialists are still unsure of long-term impacts and how the large loss of minnows will affect food chain.

The train, operated by Norfolk Southern Railroad, derailed on February 3, near East Palestine, a small town near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.

Of the 150 cars some 50 went off the tracks and some of them contained vinyl chloride, a highly flammable gas considered a potent carcinogen.

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