Brandenburg's Minister of the Environment: The cause of fish deaths is unclear
Created: 08/12/2022, 12:45 p.m
Countless dead fish are floating in the shallow water of the German-Polish border river Oder.
© Patrick Pleul/dpa
The cause of the fish kill on the Oder is still unclear.
"Mercury has been found, that's right.
But at the moment we cannot say that mercury is responsible for the death of the fish," said Brandenburg Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) on Friday in Schwedt.
"We don't know at the moment what they really died of."
Schwedt - A combination of several factors such as heat, low water supply and toxins is possible, said Vogel.
"It is quite possible that these are substances that have been introduced into the Oder for a long time, but normally do not pose a problem at all at mean water levels." Currently, however, there are historically low water levels on the Oder.
Such small amounts of water meant that every substance in the water was present in a higher concentration, according to the Environment Minister.
Therefore, it could well be that substances that are normally not so serious in the dosage are now dangerous due to the increased dose.
It has now been clarified that fish would also die in Germany and not only dead animals from Poland had been washed ashore, said Vogel.
The District Administrator for the Uckermark district, Karina Dörk, said that the area along the Oder will be flown over with drones to see how the fish kill is developing.
A mission to collect the dead fish is planned for this Saturday.
dpa