Massive fish kill event hits NSW’s far west, with millions of fish dead in Darling River

A large number of dead fish have been found in the Darling River at Menindee in New South Wales, with bony bream making up the majority of the species. Golden perch and Murray cod have also been spotted among the dead. The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) fisheries arm is sending officers to the area to assess the situation. While bony bream normally experience a boom-bust population cycle, the level of deaths seen now is unprecedented. Cameron Lay, director of freshwater environments at DPI Fisheries, said it was a “very distressing” situation, and that the number of dead fish found so far suggested that the mass kill could be at least “on par” with the 2019 event, which saw millions of dead fish. The situation is also worrying because larger native species such as golden perch and Murray cod have been affected. The DPI is concerned that the hot weather expected in the coming days could exacerbate the problem. WaterNSW, which monitors the Menindee Lakes area, said it had increased its monitoring in recent months to track the impact of prolonged flooding in the region. Menindee has experienced several mass fish kills in recent years, and claims of water mismanagement and poor river health have been raised by locals as a potential cause of the mass deaths.

This news report is discussing a mass fish kill event that has occurred in the Darling River at Menindee, in the far west of New South Wales, Australia.

Hundreds of thousands of fish have been found dead, with bony bream making up the majority of the species affected. Other species, such as cod and golden perch, have also been spotted among the dead.

The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (DPI) fisheries arm is sending officers to the area to assess the situation. Cameron Lay, director of freshwater environments at DPI Fisheries, called the situation “very distressing” and said that the number of dead fish found so far suggests that this mass kill event could be at least as severe as the 2019 event that also hit the region.

Bony bream populations are known to fluctuate quickly based on changing conditions, but the level of deaths found in this event “probably exceeds things that we’ve seen before in that pattern”, according to Lay. He is particularly concerned about the fact that larger-bodied, longer-lived native species such as golden perch and Murray cod are also among the dead, as these species do not typically experience such rapid die-offs.

The article also mentions that a heatwave is expected to hit the region soon, which could further threaten water quality and native fish populations. Locals have criticized the management of the water system and raised concerns about potential drought conditions that could be brought on by an El Niño phase.

Fish kill events can occur due to a sudden or prolonged drop in water quality, and investigations into the cause of this event could help prevent future mass kills from happening. Overall, this is a tragic situation that highlights the importance of responsible management of water resources and the need to protect native species and their habitats.