‘It’s horrific’: millions of dead fish clog Australia’s Darling River
- Blanket of dead fish found in the Darling River near the small town of Menindee, following fish deaths in same area in 2018 and 2019
- State government says fish deaths are related to low oxygen levels in the water as floodwaters recede, as searing heatwave sweeps through region
Millions of dead and rotting fish have clogged a vast stretch of river near a remote town in the Australian outback as a searing heatwave sweeps through the region.
Videos posted to social media showed boats ploughing through a blanket of dead fish smothering the water, with the surface barely visible underneath.
The New South Wales government said on Friday that “millions” of fish had died in the Darling River near the small town of Menindee, in the third mass kill to hit the area since 2018.
“It’s horrific really, there’s dead fish as far as you can see,” said Menindee local Graeme McCrabb.
“It’s surreal to comprehend,” he said, adding this year’s fish kill appeared to be worse than previous ones. “The environmental impact is unfathomable.”
Populations of fish such as bony herring and carp had boomed in the river following recent floods, according to the state government, but were now dying off in huge numbers as floodwaters receded.