Australia begins mass fish death clean-up
Millions of fish have died in a river in western New South Wales (NSW), Australia, leading to a major clean-up effort. Although fish will be removed from high-density areas, it will not be possible to clear all the carcasses.
The deaths were caused by low oxygen levels in the river due to a recent heatwave, resulting in hypoxic blackwater, which is a naturally occurring phenomenon.
An emergency hub has been established in Menindee to monitor water quality, and state government agencies are releasing higher-quality water to boost dissolved oxygen levels.
Volunteers from conservation charity OzFish are searching for and rescuing surviving native fish from the river. However, most of the floating remains are likely to sink to the river bed, causing a nutrient spike and potential algal blooms.
The Darling-Baaka River is part of Australia’s largest river system, the Murray-Darling Basin, which has faced pressure from drought and increased human use in recent years.