The Darling River was once again making headlines as the muddy waters were hardly visible through a blanket of dead fish. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s mantra of ‘just add water’ has had a schooling once again by mother nature as the kills come on the back of some of the highest inflows and floods on record.
Closer to home, residents of Kangaroo Lake have been left horrified as they awoke to an estimated 20,000 dead fish lining the northern end of the lake, with Brim being the main species recorded by locals and photographs and unfortunately, some large Murray Cod.
“GMW is aware of fish deaths at Kangaroo Lake, Third Reedy Lake, and Racecourse Lake within the Kerang Lakes System,” said GMW Water Delivery Services general manager Warren Blyth.
“Testing of water samples has confirmed the water was deoxygenated. Deoxygenated water can occur naturally, often due to changes in temperature. The impact of floodwaters is still prevalent in the area. Blue-green algae is present throughout the Torrumbarry Irrigation Area and contributes to deoxygenation of the water.
“We are unable to confirm the exact number of fish deaths, but believe this is mainly European carp, an invasive pest species in Australia. Unfortunately, golden perch and cod have been affected by this event.
“We will monitor the area for further fish deaths, and will continue collecting water samples to test for any further changes. We will also conduct a clean up of the dead fish at the lakes.”
GMW is continuing to cooperate with the Environment Protection Authority on this matter. A clean up of the fish was undertaken on Monday to reduce the impacts on locals and visitors.
This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 23 March 2023.
