Millions of native fish have washed up dead near Menindee in outback NSW, in a series of mass kills apparently caused by floods and hot weather.
The state Department of Primary Industries said fish such as bony herring, Murray cod and perch had died on the lower Darling-Baaka River, in the far west, along with carp.
“This event is ongoing as a heatwave across western NSW continues to put further stress on a system that has experienced extreme conditions from wide-scale flooding,” the department said on Friday.
The deaths were likely caused by low oxygen levels as floods recede, a situation made worse by fish needing more oxygen because of the warmer weather.
Bony herring were a boom-and-bust species, the department said, which thrived in floods but are more susceptible to stresses when water flows return to normal.
“NSW DPI understands that fish death events are distressing to the local community, particularly on the lower Darling-Baaka.”
Local nature photographer Geoff Looney found huge clusters of dead fish near the main weir at Menindee on Thursday night.
“The stink was terrible. I nearly had to put a mask on,” Mr Looney said.
“I was worried about my own health. That water right in the top comes down to our pumping station for the town.
“People north of Menindee say there’s cod and perch floating down the river everywhere.”
Menindee, a town of about 500 people, is just over 100 kilometres south-east of Broken Hill.
Other mass kills have been reported on the Darling-Baaka River in recent weeks.
Tens of thousands of fish were found at the same spot in late February, while there have been several reports of dead fish downstream towards Pooncarie, near the borders of South Australia and Victoria, since February 20.
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Enormous fish kills occurred on the river at Menindee during severe drought conditions in late 2018 and early 2019, with locals estimating millions of deaths.
The department’s investigation involving scientists and Murray-Darling Basin experts found those events were also caused by a lack of dissolved oxygen, amid very low or non-existent water flows, high temperatures and blue-green algal blooms.
However, locals have complained for years of mismanagement of local water resources.
Local Graeme McCrabb said water quality in the the area had been “appalling” recently.
“All I can see is carp sucking for air,” he told the ABC.
“I think we would well and truly be into the millions of dead bony bream again.”
He questioned management of local waterways ahead of a potential El Nino and possible return to drought conditions.
“I don’t see how the river can be fit for purpose for showering and cleaning when you’ve got dead fish and the smell of dead fish, it’s just putrid,” he said.
Mr Looney said wanted an inquiry into water management and fish deaths.
“It’s getting ridiculous,” he said.
Several state and federal departments are responding to the latest mass kill.
– with AAP
