Millions of fish carcasses were found in river waters by residents of a New South Wales town on Friday morning. According to state authorities, the phenomenon is caused by an ongoing heatwave affecting the Darling Baka River, which is part of the Murray-Darling basin, Australia’s largest river system.
According to local residents, this is the largest fish kill in the city, but a similar case was observed three years ago.
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Heat waves are becoming more frequent, intense and longer due to man-made climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1.1°C since the beginning of the industrial age, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments around the world significantly reduce their emissions.
Speaking to the BBC, Menindy resident Graeme McCrab described the phenomenon as “surreal”. He said locals expect more fish to die because already decomposing fish take more oxygen out of the water.
The temperature in Menende is expected to reach 41°C on Saturday.
According to the BBC, running out of fish highlights the problems in the Murray-Darling Aquarium. The health of the Murray Darling ecosystem is also affected by drought and increased human use.
