More than 100 dead fish have been discovered in a Welsh canal with experts warning they likely suffocated due to the ongoing hot weather. Members of the public reported seeing dead fish in Swansea Canal in the Clydach area and raised their concerns with Natural Resources Wales.
When officers visited the scene they found around 100 small fish and 10 larger fish lying still in the water. After looking for signs of pollution or blue green algae no evidence of either was found and it’s thought that low oxygen levels due to the hot and dry weather is to blame for the death of the fish.
Most parts of Wales are currently experiencing a dry spell which has seen minimal rainfall over the past six weeks. Temperatures have consistently been in the mid to high 20s in parts of the country and a high of 30C was reported in north Wales earlier this week. You can get the latest WalesOnline newsletters emailed to you directly for free by signing up here.
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Some rain is expected in the coming days with showers forecast for most parts of Wales between Friday and into next week. However the warm temperatures appear to be here to stay for the foreseeable future. Following the discovery of dead fish in Swansea Canal a spokesman for Natural Resources Wales said: “Following reports of dead fish our officers visited the Swansea Canal at Clydach on Wednesday. Unfortunately they discovered approximately 100 small coarse fish and 10 larger coarse fish dead in the water.
"Using dedicated equipment they found that the canal had extremely low dissolved oxygen levels and high water temperatures. No evidence of pollution was found and an algal sample showed no evidence of blue green algae. We have concluded that the fish kill is most likely the result of low dissolved oxygen levels caused by the recent and ongoing spell of dry and hot weather.”
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