Thousands of dead fish have been washed up along the edges of Maitai River in Nelson. The Nelson City Council was advised of the situation by a witness this morning. Its not yet known what caused the deaths, but the council is investigating a possible chemical spill. The council has confirmed it appears the fish got caught up in dirty water, as the fresh water fish in the same area seem to be OK. Fish and Game field officer for the Marlborough region, Lawson Davey says its the biggest fish kill hes seen. The tide was coming in and gulls were having a field day. The tides just coming in and theres a whole lot of other pilchards and weve seen a few eels and other things feeding on the dead fish. The fish were found near the Trafalgar Street bridge. Fishing has been banned from the lower reaches of the Maitai River in Nelson, after the discovery of thousands of dead fish. The Nelson City Councils asking residents to avoid fishing in the area, following the unexplained death of pilchards. Samples of fish, water and sediment have been sent for testing, with results expected late next week. Council spokeswoman Angela Ricker says the public health risk is probably low but theyre taking a precautionary approach until more is known
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 08:31:09 +0000
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