Sydney, Australia: 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,” Menindee local Graeme McCrabb told AFP.
“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.
“These fish deaths are related to low oxygen levels in the water (hypoxia) as flood waters recede,” the government said in a statement.
“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.”