The oxygen content in the entire Reest is low and so many fish are in a difficult situation. So much so that thousands of fish had to be rescued this weekend in the canal and pond at the Dickninge estate.
“They deserve a statue,” says local resident Judy Boerema. This concerns the Oosterveen family. Father Nico, together with his sons Timo and Jelle, saw the situation and intervened adequately. With large nets and containers, they have brought the distressed fish to more oxygenated waters.
“Such a situation is very dear to you as a fish lover,” Nico responds. “If we hadn’t done anything, they would all be dead by now.” After several calls with both the water board and the fire brigade, the family decides to launch a rescue operation themselves. Until deep into the night, they save all kinds of fish from death. “We encountered all sorts of things: roaches, tench, bream, but also a carp and many pikes,” says Jelle.
According to Oosterveen, this is a unique situation. “The problem starts in the water of the water board, then the fish swim to private water and then you get into the discussion: who does what and who pays for what?” Something that Oosterveen has few good words to say about, because: “At the end of the day, the fish suffers, they can’t wait until the desk has decided where the bill should go.
Oosterveen hopes that the managers and the water board will learn from this situation. “They first have to work together and then talk about who pays what. After all, a fish in distress cannot wait.”
According to the water board, the cause of the low oxygen content is the large amount of precipitation in recent times. The recent oxygen measurements give a cautiously positive picture compared to last Thursday and Friday and the oxygen content is expected to increase further. The water board continues to monitor the oxygen content.