Millions of fish found dead in Australian river

According to government officials, a large number of fish have perished in an Australian river as a result of critically low oxygen levels in the water resulting from the receding flood waters.

The agency reported that the majority of the deceased fish, which included bony herring, murray cod, golden perch, silver perch, and carp, were discovered in an “ongoing” incident in the vicinity of Menindee, close to the Darling River, NPR reported.

“The Bony Herring species typically booms and busts over time,” the Department of Primary Industries in New South Wales stated in a social media posting. “It ‘booms’ in population numbers during flood times and can then experience significant mortalities or ‘busts’ when flows return to more normal levels.”

The already diminished oxygen levels were further intensified in the region by a heat wave, as reported by NPR.

Late in February, The Associated Press documented a large number of fish dying in the Darling-Baaka River. Menindee, located along the river, experienced a similar phenomenon of mass fish deaths during the severe drought in late 2018 and early 2019.