Millions of fish were found dead in the southeast Australia during a death epidemic that scientists and authorities believe was caused by flooding and hot weather.
According to the Department of Primary Industries of New South Wales, the deaths of fish coincided with heat waves that placed stress on a system that had been subjected to extreme flooding conditions.
According to the department, the deaths were probably caused by low oxygen levels due to receding floods. This situation was made worse by the fact that fish require more oxygen from warmer weather.
Menindee, an Outback settlement, complained about the foul-smelling dead fish.
“We have just started to clean up and then this happened. You walk around in a dried up mess and then you smell this horrible smell. Jan Dening, a local, said that it was a horrible smell and terrible to see all the dead fish.
Geoff Looney, a nature photographer, found large clusters of dead fish at the Menindee main weir on Thursday night.
“The smell was horrible. Looney stated that it was almost impossible to breathe without a mask. “I was concerned about my health. The water from the top flows to the town’s pumping station. North of Menindee, people say that there is cod and perch all over the river.
In recent weeks, reports have emerged of mass kills on the Darling Baaka River. In late February, tens of thousands of fish were discovered at the same spot. There have also been reports of dead fish further downstream towards Pooncarie, which is near the border of South Australia, and Victoria.
Extreme drought conditions resulted in massive fish kills on the Menindee River, with locals estimating that there were millions of deaths.
