Millions of fish are floating dead in Australian rivers

A heat wave and recent floods are causing mass die-offs of native fish in remote south-eastern Australia. Photos in local media show a carpet of dead fish floating in the Darling River near the small town of Menindee in New South Wales. Broadcaster ABC wrote on Saturday that there have been repeated fish deaths in Menindee in previous years, but according to officials, the current scale puts everything in the shade. AAP news agency wrote about “millions” of dead fish.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has said that fish are likely to die due to heat and low oxygen levels in the water as the floods recede. Apart from carp, freshwater sardines, Murray cod and perch also died. The ABC also wrote that temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius are expected in the region over the weekend.

The village is home to around 500 people who depend heavily on river water. That’s why the fish kill is particularly worrisome, the ministry said. A local resident told the BBC: “We use river water for washing and bathing.” That is not possible now.

“The stench was terrible,” local wildlife photographer Geoff Looney said after spotting a large accumulation of dead fish near Menindee on Thursday, according to AAP. “I almost had to wear a mask.” The AAP reported that fish in the river died off en masse during a severe drought in late 2018 and early 2019.

Australia is particularly affected by climate change – heatwaves, bushfires and floods are the result. In January, following severe flooding in the southern state of Victoria, there were reports of large numbers of carp dying from the Murray River, rotting in the sun.