A ranger at the Brandenburg Nature Watch collects dead fishermen from the Oder with a net Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa
By Sandra Basan and Isabel Pancake
So far, Polish firefighters have collected more than 100 tons of fish carcasses from the Oder. In Brandenburg, too, helpers have already recovered thousands of dead fish from the border river. However, the cause of the mass extinction remains unclear.
The latest samples in the Brandenburg state laboratory showed “no particularly high values for metals such as mercury,” said a spokeswoman for the Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment on Tuesday when asked by the BZ.
Massive amounts of fish carcasses are shoveled away from the Polish Oder with an excavator Photo: EPA
On Monday afternoon, however, at a press conference in Lebus, it was still said: “We found values within and slightly above the tolerance range.” However, the heavy metal would not have led to the death of the fish.
“Furthermore, high salt loads and a high oxygen content are found,” the spokeswoman continued on Tuesday.
► The Polish government said on Tuesday evening: So far, no toxic substances that have caused the fish kill have been discovered in the water samples examined from the Oder. In addition, no evidence of pesticides was found in the samples of dead fish, Environment Minister Anna Moskwa said in Warsaw on Tuesday.
Three hypotheses of the Polish government
- The first hypothesis is the possible entry of a toxic substance into the water, either during the production process in an industrial company located on the Oder or through illegal discharge into the river.
- The second hypothesis states that the causes were natural: high temperatures, low water levels and increased concentrations of pollutants. The environmental agency is investigating all circumstances that could explain the high salinity and high water temperature, Moskva said. According to Polish experts, the increased salt content in the water could also be due to the fact that mine water could have flowed into the Oder. It is created during underground and opencast mining.
- The third option being studied is the discharge of a large amount of chlorinated service water into the Oder. Chlorine could potentially trigger soil sediment pollution, the minister said.
Brandenburg
A total of 500 kilometers of the Oder river are now affected. And the contaminated water continues to flow inexorably towards the Baltic Sea. Dead fish have also been discovered in smaller rivers and canals.
The tourism industry around the Szczecin Lagoon is looking at the catastrophe with concern. The Schwerin state government strongly advises against bathing in the lagoon.
In Lebus, volunteers picked up most of the dead fish over the weekend. The birds therefore find only a few dead prey Photo: Olaf Selchow
Tobias Woitendorf, head of the state tourism association, reassured: “But it’s not the case that you now have a wave of departures or cancellations.”