Updated on 08/12/2022 at 14:44
- Many fish are currently dying in the Oder.
- Brandenburg Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) confirmed that mercury pollution was found in the Oder.
- However, it is still unclear whether this is the reason for the animals’ deaths.
The death of thousands of fish in the Oder is a mystery. Brandenburg Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) confirmed that mercury pollution was found in the Oder – “but at the moment we cannot say that mercury is responsible for the death of fish,” he said on Friday in Schwedt. “We don’t know at the moment what they actually died from.”
A combination of heat, low water levels and toxins may have caused the fish to die.
A combination of several factors, such as heat, low water supply and toxins, is possible, Vogel said. “It could be that these are substances that were introduced into the Oder a long time ago, but they usually don’t pose any problems with average water.” However, there are currently historic low water levels in the Oder.
Those small amounts of water meant that all the substances in the water were present at a higher concentration, Vogel said. Therefore, it could be that substances that are normally not so severe in dosage are now dangerous due to the increased dosage. It has now been clarified that fish are also dying in Germany and that it is not just dead animals that have arrived from Poland, the environment minister said.
Conservationists assume far-reaching consequences for the Lower Oder Valley National Park
Conservationists assume far-reaching consequences for the Lower Oder Valley National Park. “The effects are terrible,” deputy national park manager Michael Tautenhahn told the German Press Agency Friday morning. “This is simply a disaster for the national park.” The wave of poisoning has completely crossed the Oder. Dead fish were seen floating across the width of the river. Zander, catfish, gudgens and loach are affected. Sea eagles and other birds can ingest venom from dead fish. The Lower Oder Valley National Park is one of the most species-rich habitats in Germany.
According to the Polish Environmental Protection Agency, the fish death was likely caused by industrial water pollution. Poland will be able to present the results of tests of dead fish masses from the Oder on Sunday. So far, the State Research Institute in Pulawy has not received any fish, director Krzysztof Niemczuk told the PAP news agency on Friday.
Dead fish are currently being screened for metals, pesticides and other toxins.
Fish should be screened for metals, pesticides and other toxic substances. “There are so many substances that could have caused the fish to die that we can’t say at this point what the cause could be,” Niemczuk said.
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Updated on 01/06/2021 at 13:49
Researchers have detected a high concentration of mercury in the Arctic Sea south of Greenland. The toxic heavy metal in the tributaries and the sea probably doesn’t come from humans. (Iconic photo: iStock: Explora_2005)
The death of fish in the Oder has been worrying people in Brandenburg, on the Polish border, for days. Thousands of dead fish were discovered in the river, some of them near the city of Frankfurt (Oder) and neighboring towns. According to the Polish Water Authority, ten tons of dead fish were recovered.
Brandenburg Environment Minister criticizes Poland’s lack of information
Uckermark district administrator Karina Dörk said the area along the Oder will be flown over with drones to see how the fish kill is developing. An operation to collect the dead fish on the German side is planned for this Saturday.
There has been growing criticism of the Polish authorities. Dead fish were found in Poland in late July and water samples were collected for the first time. Brandenburg Environment Minister Vogel criticized the lack of information on Thursday.
The leader of the Greens parliamentary group in the Brandenburg state parliament, Benjamin Raschke, added on Friday: “I am shocked. Not only by the thousands of fish deaths, but also by the failure of Poland’s information chain,” he said. if simple reporting chains do not work in the event of an ecological catastrophe, there is a fundamental need for discussion.
The spokeswoman for the Greens in Frankfurt (Oder), Alena Karaschinski, believes in a possible attempt to cover up an environmental disaster.
The spokeswoman for the Greens in Frankfurt (Oder), Alena Karaschinski, said frustration was deep at the breakdown of trust in the room. “A multiple failure of reporting obligations and possibly even a cover-up attempt in the event of an environmental disaster. This will have to be dealt with at the federal level between Germany and Poland.” (dpa/mit)
Teaser image: © dpa / Patrick Pleul