I&I NSW investigate South Coast fish deaths

by Sarah Wright on 18 Jan 2011 Residents and holiday makers have been warned to use common sense and avoid eating any dead or dying fish with thousands continuing to wash up on the northern and eastern shores of Jervis Bay on the NSW South Coast.

Industry & Investment NSW (I&I NSW) Fisheries Officers were alerted to the dead fish earlier this month, and since then, there have been further reports of thousands of dead and dying fish washing up on the beaches from Callala Bay to Hare Bay.

Sarah Fairfull, I&I NSW Manager (Fisheries Ecosystems) said the Department is continuing to investigate the fish kill, in conjunction with the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) and the Marine Parks Authority.

'Authorities are conducting investigations into the fish kill, but so far on-site testing has found no obvious pollutants or water quality issues present,' Mrs Fairfull said.

'However, prior to the fish kill, a large amount of rain had fallen in the area, and algal blooms had been observed in the area.

'Divers have also found dead fish on the bottom of Hare Bay, and a number of fish have also been found floating on the surface due to prevailing winds and currents in the water.

'Fish species affected by the kill include a large range of fish species and size classes including flathead, whiting, mullet, luderick, catfish and an angel shark.

'There have been no signs that seabirds or marine mammals have been affected with impacts limited to fish at present.

We encourage people on the NSW South Coast to adopt a commonsense approach: Do not eat fish that are dead when you find them or that do not look healthy when caught.

'Consumption of unhealthy fish may be a health risk due to their poor condition.

Samples of fish taken last week are currently undergoing testing at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute in Camden. Water quality samples have also been submitted for analysis. Results will be made public as soon as the findings are available.

DECCW will also be taking further water and sediment samples for analysis to determine if there are any toxic micro algae, ecotoxins or pesticides present in the water.

I&I NSW, the Marine Parks Authority and DECCW will continue to work closely, using all available resources to respond to this fish kill.

Any further fish kills should be reported to I&I NSW’s 24 hour hot line 1800 043 Website