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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Anne Davies

Menindee mass fish deaths symptomatic of degradation of river ecosystem, NSW chief scientist says

Dead fish in the Darling-Baaka River in March 2023
NSW chief scientist Prof Hugh Durrant-Whyte says up to 30m fish died on the Darling-Baaka River in March, eclipsing the previous fish kill in 2019. Photograph: Otis Filley/The Guardian

The mass fish deaths at Menindee in March this year are “symptomatic of degradation of the broader river ecosystem over many years”, the New South Wales chief scientist has concluded.

Prof Hugh Durrant-Whyte’s report released on Thursday concludes that 20-30m fish died in March after floods in the region. This eclipsed the other major fish kill in January 2019, which occurred after months of drought and a wave of high temperatures.

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