Algae toxins suspected of killing fish in Oder River
7332 Mins Read
Research groups and laboratories investigating what killed thousands of fish in the Oder River running between Poland and Germany are pointing at algae toxins.
“The results of the research of our experts from the Institute for Inland Fisheries indicate the presence of microorganisms (golden algae) in the water of the Oder,” Polish Environment Minister Anna Moskwa said Thursday. Their bloom can emit toxins lethal to fish and shellfish but not harmful for humans, she added.
German researchers from the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in Berlin said Wednesday they identified Prymnesium parvum, a type of golden algae, in samples from the river.
An action to clean the Oder River of dead fish using a flexible dam in Widuchowa, western Poland. EPA-EFE/Marcin Bielecki
It is still unclear whether the algae found on the Polish side are the same type as those identified by the German researchers, according to the German Press Agency.
Officials on both sides of the border last week warned of an ecological catastrophe after dead fish clogged the southern reaches of the river. Polish fishermen started noticing problems near Oława, about 400 kilometers from the sea, in late July.
Polish authorities have pulled 100 tons of dead fish from the river, while some 30 tons were recovered on the German side.
The IGB researchers warned that if their theory is confirmed, the growth of algae in the affected stretch of the river is not “a naturally occurring phenomenon” but “definitely a man-made problem.”
