Environmentalists in Germany and Poland have warned of further fish deaths in the Oder in view of falling oxygen levels. “The decomposition process of dead fish and molluscs that could not be fished out and are lying on the bottom of the Oder has begun,” said Finn Viehberg from WWF Germany on Wednesday. This will further pollute the river.
Because when organic material like dead fish is decomposed, ammonium is formed. In the river, which was already heavily polluted with salt, the ammonium ions were converted into ammonia, said Viehberg. “This is a deadly trap for those fish that are still alive.” As a result of the lack of oxygen and ammonia poisoning, experts from WWF Poland are observing new dead fish in the lower part of the Oder – from Gryfino to Szczecin.
The head of administration for the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Zbigniew Bogucki, has been referring to low oxygen levels in the Oder near Szczecin for several days. The Polska Morska portal reported that a total of 31 fire brigade pumps were installed in seven places to aerate the water.
The cause of the fish kill is still unclear. However, a toxic alga was found in water samples in both Poland and Germany.
Brandenburg’s Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) is now hoping to find the cause of a meeting with the Polish side this Sunday. Then the German-Polish environmental council meets in Bad Saarow (Oder-Spree district). It is still unclear where the high salt content in the river comes from.
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According to the scientists, this is a major reason for the environmental disaster, combined with low water, high temperatures and the toxic type of algae, said the environment minister on Wednesday in Frankfurt (Oder) Vogel. It is crucial that this high salt input no longer occurs in the future.
“That’s why we need to know: Where did the salt freight come from. Only Poland can clarify that,” he stressed. This will be discussed with the Polish side on Sunday. “I think then we will be a big step further.”
