MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

By JANE HAMMOND, The West Australian – “More than 1,400 fish have gone belly-up in the Swan River since June 1.

The fish, mostly black bream have been found in a 13km stretch of the river between Bassendean and West Swan.

Swimmers have been warned to avoid the water, not to catch or eat sluggish or dead fish found in the river and to keep pets away from the dead or dying fish.

Parts of the water have turned red and a fishy odour has also been reported associated with a deadly algal bloom.

The deaths are thought to be associated with levels of the potentially fish-killing microalgae Karlodinium veneficum in the upper Swan River.

Microalgae activity levels reported in the Trust’s weekly Microalgae Activity Report have been kept on alert since May 24.

A spokeswoman for the Swan River Trust said officers were on the river today undertaking a cleanup operation.

‘The oxygenation plants at Guildford and Caversham are continuing to be operated to maintain oxygen levels, which is critical as the algae affects the capacity of fish to extract oxygen from the water.

‘The algae is still prevalent in the area, but declining in density,’ a statement on the Trust’s website said.

Karlodinium microalga is found in most West Australian waterways and tends to increase in density between mid-summer and autumn.

‘The Karlodinium veneficum does not present a direct risk to public health but sensible precautions should be taken,’ the statement said.

The fish kill is the second major event of its type this year and follows the death of more than 4000 fish in the river in late January.” Source – The West Australian.