Millions of dead fish cover river in Australia

Masses of fish have died in a remote area of ​​New South Wales, ABC reports. The cause: flooding and heat.

Photos and videos on social media show a veritable carpet of dead fish. The Darling River is affected near the small town of Menindee, about a twelve-hour drive from the metropolis of Sydney. "It's really awful," a resident told AAP. "Dead fish as far as the eye can see."

It is not the first time that large numbers of fish have died in the remote area. There have been repeated fish kills near Menindee in previous years - but never on this scale.

"Estimates are now in the millions," said Cameron Lay of Australia's Department of Primary Industry on Friday. The amount of dead fish is said to extend over several kilometers.

In addition to Murray cod and perch, carp and freshwater herring in particular have died. Floods in New South Wales recently caused a surge in populations of both fish species. According to the Ministry of Primary Industry, the level of oxygen in the water has now fallen due to the receding of the flooding. This probably led to the death of the fish.

The current heat wave in New South Wales is said to exacerbate the problem. Warm water contains less oxygen than cold water, and fish need more oxygen at higher temperatures.

Peter Thurtell of the New South Wales Police Crisis Unit said on Sunday: "The first priority is to provide the approximately 500 residents with clean water. As a second step, the salvage of the dead fish will then take place in the course of the week.”

By the end of 2018 and early 2019, over a million fish had died in New South Wales. The causes were drought and an algal bloom 40 kilometers wide. At the time, government agencies warned: "Unfortunately, this won't be the last." In 2022, thousands of dead fish turned up again, this time in the Menindee lakes.

Other areas of Australia are also affected by climate change in this regard. In January, hordes of dead carp washed ashore from the Murray River in southern Victoria, where they were left to rot in the sun.

According to environmental scientist Richard Kingsford, the irrigation system in the Menindee area also contributes to the problem. A lot of water is diverted upstream for irrigation. "The drought wouldn't be as severe if there was more water in the river," the University of New South Wales researcher told the AAP. "And if there was more water in the river, the water quality would be better and the fish probably wouldn't be affected as much."