According to the Polish government, toxic algae were discovered in the water samples examined from the Oder. “Following further investigations, the Olsztyn Inland Fisheries Institute found rare microorganisms, so-called golden algae, in water samples from the Oder River,” Environment Minister Anna Moskwa said today. The proliferation of these algae can cause the emergence of toxins that kill aquatic organisms such as fish and mussels, but are not harmful to humans.
On the German side, the poisonous species of algae Prymnesium parvum was recently identified in the Oder. Prymnesium parvum is also sometimes called golden seaweed, but this is not a biological term. Several species are so named because they glow golden. Neither the Olsztyn Institute of Inland Fisheries nor the Polish Ministry of the Environment were initially able to discover the Latin name of the golden seaweed mentioned by Minister Moskva and whether it was the same type of seaweed that was discovered in Germany.
Moskva said additional research confirmed that a golden algal bloom had occurred in the Oder. The cause of algal blooms is still under investigation.
The death of fish in the Oder has been worrying people living on the river in Poland and Germany for days. The cause of the environmental disaster is still unclear.