Millions of dead decomposing fish have blocked a large part of a river located in remote south-eastern Australia hit by a strong heat wave, local authorities explained on Friday March 17.
The New South Wales state government reported that millions of fish had died in the Darling River near the village of Menindee, the third mass extinction in the area since 2018.
According to the local government, populations of bony herring and carp have risen sharply in the river following recent flooding, but the water has since receded. “The death of these fish is linked to the low level of oxygen in the water (hypoxia), as the flood waters recede”explained the authority in a press release, adding that the heat wave aggravates the phenomenon.
“Dead fish as far as the eye can see”
Videos posted on social media showed boats in the middle of thick schools of floating fish, the surface of the waterway almost invisible:
#Breaking: enormous fish kill in #Menindee outback NSW, a few weeks after 10s of 1000s of fish died -… https://t.co/OgDVOTMnRv
#UPDATE: video from #Menindee local Graeme McCrabb… @NSWDPIE_Water confirming millions native fish dead. Cause=L… https://t.co/MMiXFKiwMy
“It’s really horrible, there are dead fish as far as the eye can see”testified to Agence France-Presse (AFP) Graeme McCrabb, a resident of Menindee, speaking of environmental consequences “immeasurable”.
Previous mass fish extinctions in Menindee had already been attributed to the lack of water in the river, but also to the proliferation of a toxic algae over nearly 40 kilometers. The village of 500 people has been ravaged by floods and drought in recent years.