Experts disagree as to what is causing the death of thousands of fish in rivers in eastern Poland.

Recent days have seen vast numbers of dead fish floating on the surface of rivers in eastern Poland, including the Bug, Wieprz and Liwiec. Anglers consider the situation an environmental disaster, claiming that bringing the fish stock back to previous levels will take years. 

The exact reasons as to what is causing the fish to die remains unclear. Jarosław Maruga, from the fire service headquarters in Lubartów, rules out chemical contamination: 

“Dead fish in rivers are the consequence of intensive rain in June,” he said. “This has led to a rise in water levels and the fish swam out onto flooded meadows. Once the levels dropped the fish were left stranded.” 

Head of the Podlasie state fishing watchdog, Rafał Kuczborski, disagrees. He thinks the reason for the disaster is a lack of oxygen in the water triggered by the floods in the meadows. The rivers emit an odour set off by anaerobes that process hay from fields. He thinks these bacteria are behind the deaths.  

The Regional Inspectorate of Environment Protection in Podlasie is monitoring rivers across the region. Meanwhile, the firefighting, veterinary and sanitary services have appealed to the public not to consume the fish, as this could lead to severe poisoning. (ab/pg)