A massive fish kill has occurred at a weir in rural NSW.
What’s believed to be one million fish have been found floating on top of the water at the Menindee Weir pool near Broken Hill.
Video footage of the kill shows endless bodies of fish covering the area around the weir, with locals outraged by the event.
“Well, it’s happened again; dead fish in their thousands at the main Weir and in the river towards town,” local photographer Geoff Looney said on social media.
Fish kills are not uncommon around the Menindee Weir.
A fresh maior fish kill at Menindee Weir pool near Broken Hill. Locals say one million dead. @[email protected]/YCkA78NbgL
— Chris O’Keefe (@cokeefe9) March 17, 2023
“The sad difference this time is that they are mostly native fish. Bony herrings, Murray Cod and large Golden Perch.
“Maybe this time we will get an official state inquiry into what is killing our native fish – lack of oxygen, pollution or whatever.
“It worries me a lot, as this water is used for our town supply of water and a lot of people drink it.”
Fish kills are defined as a sudden mass mortality of wild fish and are more likely to occur in summer or following sudden changes in temperature, according to the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
It’s believed up to a million fish have died in this event. Picture: Chris O’Keefe
One cause of the mass death events are the release of blackwater – the build-up of leaf litter and debris on a flood plain – into a river system through heavy rains.
It’s not yet known what caused this fish kill.
Menindee is no stranger to events of this nature, with tens of thousands of fish dying in multiple kills in February.
It was also the site of a major fish kill in January 2019 which made national headlines.
Comment is being sought from the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
More to come.