Astounding images of miles of river bed literally covered with hundreds of thousands of dead fish, while looking for the reasons for the ecological disaster.
Occurs on the Darling River at Menindee, within New South Wales, Australia, and photos show what is believed to be up to a million dead fish. The river is near the town of Menindee, a town of about 500, and an hour’s drive from Broken Hill, Australia.
Massive fish kills had already occurred at the site in recent years, and algal blooms 25 miles away were blamed for killing hundreds of thousands of fish in 2019, he reports. New York Post.
A spokesman for Australia’s Department of Primary Industries said news.com.au that it is estimated that “one million fish, mainly of the species Bone herring (bone bream)were affected, as were smaller numbers of other large bodied species such as Murray Cod, Golden Perch, Silver Perth and Carp.
This massive fish kill is still ongoing as a heatwave in western New South Wales puts further pressure on a system that has suffered extreme conditions from large-scale flooding, the DPI spokesman said.
The Bony Herring species generally waxes and wanes over time, according to the DPI. But their population “boosts” during times of flooding and can therefore experience significant mortality or “falls” as water heights return to more normal levels.
Despite environmental stress, such as low oxygen levels, and especially extreme conditions, such as rising temperatures currently tested in the area.
“These fish kills are related to low oxygen levels in the water (hypoxia) as floodwaters recede,” the Department of Public Information spokesman said.
The official body also analyzed that significant volumes of fish, including carp and bone herring, nutrients and organic matter from the floodplain are re-concentrating in the river channel.
“The current warm climate in the region is also exacerbating hypoxia, as warmer water contains less oxygen than cold water and fish have higher oxygen requirements in warmer temperatures.
Several agencies in New South Wales, Australia, including Water New South Wales and the local council, continue to work together on the response.
“Fish kills can occur at any time, although the data indicate it is more likely than fish kills occur in summer or after sudden changes in temperature,” the department said on its website.
Locals criticize poor water management and the poor health of the Darling River in the Murray Darling Basin as a possible cause of the mass deaths, but the DPI has denied this in the past.
Residents attacked the Murray Darling Basin Authority’s decision to drain Australia’s Menindee lakes in 2014 and 2017 to meet downstream water demand.
The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries defines a fish kill as the sudden mass death of wild fish.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.