Fish deaths pose mystery for council

About 150 dead fish were found in a Queenstown creek on Saturday. PHOTO: OTAGO REGIONAL COUNCIL
About 150 dead fish were found in a Queenstown creek on Saturday. PHOTO: OTAGO REGIONAL COUNCIL
What caused the deaths of up to 150 fish near Queenstown on Saturday is unknown and is being investigated.

The Otago Regional Council is asking the public for any information about activities that may have led to the mass kill.

Council compliance manager Tami Sargeant said the council’s pollution team responded to a report from the public about the fish kill and found 130 to 150 deceased brown trout and one other fish believed to be a galaxiid.

The cause of the fish kill had not yet been identified however water samples had been taken and autopsies of fish were under way, Ms Sargeant said.

"Without enough information we can’t conclusively say what led to the fish kill but there are some potential scenarios that could have caused this — including a chemical discharge into the stream.

"Regardless of the cause, anything that can cause this scale of death will be unpleasant for the animals concerned."

One possibility was that a contaminant had entered a stormwater drain that discharged directly into the creek further upstream.

Most stormwater was not treated before it drained into waterways, so anything that went down the drain could likely end up going directly into a waterway and harming ecosystems, Ms Sargeant said.

"This is a significant event and most likely preventable."

Fish & Game Otago officer Bruce Quirey said it was not the first event of its kind at Horn Creek and the deaths were a reminder that whatever went down a stormwater system found its way into a natural stream.

"It’s happened when brown trout are spawning so the consequences for sports fish are higher as larger fish are migrating up from Lake Wakatipu.

"It’s equally disappointing that native fish and juvenile trout have been killed."

The council urged anyone with information about the fish deaths at Horn Creek to contact its pollution hotline, which could be done anonymously.

--  lucy.wormald@odt.co.nz

 

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