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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Fleur Connick

The ‘silent killer’ of flooding: Murray River fish in dire straits as water quality drops

Murray river
Poor water quality along the Murray River after intense flooding is breaking down the aquatic food chain and killing fish, experts warn. Photograph: Western Murray Land Improvement Group

Stretches of the Murray River could become an “ecological desert” because widespread flooding has reduced water quality, a scientist has warned, as New South Wales communities rally to save fish populations.

Dr Ian Wright, a professor at Western Sydney University’s School of Science, believes fish and other aquatic wildlife are dying in huge numbers along the river as dissolved oxygen levels plummet – and the ecological impact could be “catastrophic”.

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