An Extreme Heatwave in Australia Kills Million of Fish

VIVA – A sudden heatwave across the western part of New South Wales has caused the mass death of fish in Australia’s second-longest river. The state’s river authority said it was a result of extreme heat affecting the Darling-Baaka river, alongside a drop in water oxygen levels following recent floods.

“Significant volumes of fish, including carp and bony herring, along with nutrients and organic matter from the flood plain, have been forced back up the river due to the hot weather. These fish deaths are related to low oxygen levels in the water (hypoxia) as flood waters recede. It explained in a statement this week.” according to the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) in New South Wales.

“This event is ongoing as a heatwave continues to put further stress on a system that has experienced extreme conditions from wide-scale flooding. The current hot weather in the region is also exacerbating hypoxia, as warmer water holds less oxygen than cold water and fish have higher oxygen needs at warmer temperatures,” the DPI explained.

Also, the police have reportedly said that it will be impossible to remove all the carcasses of dead fish however they insisted that the water’s quality has not been compromised.

The fish have fallen foul of the recent heatwave, which caused a drop in the river’s oxygen. During the weekend, temperatures in the area hit 40 degrees Celsius.

Heatwaves across Australia have become more frequent and intense as climate change worsens and global temperatures continue to rise. Experts and government agencies have warned that Australia will continue to see spikes in extreme rainfall and heat, as well as more dangerous fires.

Moreover, Menindee, a rural town in the far west of New South Wales state, has a population of around 500 residents, according to census figures. Dead fish sightings were also reported this week in the Macquarie Valley, where there are both suburbs and a national park.

This wasn’t the first time Menindee residents have witnessed mass fish deaths. Thousands of dead fish were reported in the area in February and a similar event occurred in the region in 2019.