Tons of fish end up in Polish reservoir
Dark memories of the mass fish deaths in the summer of 2022 resurface: Tonnes of dead fish are discovered in a Polish reservoir near the Gliwice Canal. Water samples indicate a well-known problem. The regional administration responds.
Tons of dead fish have been found in a reservoir in Poland near the Gliwice Canal, which branches off from the Oder River, according to Polish authorities. Over the past few days, more than 14.5 tons of dead fish have been recovered from the Dzierzno Duze reservoir, said Marek Wojcik, head of the Silesian regional administration. Environmental agency lab tests found high concentrations of toxic golden algae in water samples from the reservoir.
Wojcik said barriers have been installed in a connection between the reservoir and the Gliwice Canal to prevent golden algae and infected fish from entering the canal and then the Oder River. He expects more dead fish to be recovered from reservoirs in the coming days.
In the summer of 2022, there was a massive fish kill in the Oder River. Experts in Germany and Poland concluded that the toxic effect of a bloom of the poisonous golden alga Prymnesium parvum was most likely the cause of the fish deaths.
The 41-kilometer-long Gliwice Canal, which connects the Upper Silesian metropolis of Gliwice with the Oder River, was put into operation in 1939. Last summer, a large number of dead fish were also recovered there. Authorities ordered water oxygen enrichment.
The European Union, being concerned about the environmental impact, has expressed interest in the ongoing mass fish deaths in Poland. The Polish authorities have sought international cooperation from the European Union's environmental agencies to aid in the investigation and prevention of such incidents in the future.
