Thousands of fish float dead in Australian dam

April 21, 2011 – NSW Australia – A phone call to the Ridge News on Tuesday morning alerted us to the amount of European Carp fish in a dam at Big Warrambool. There are thousands and thousands of dead fish on the water and line the banks metres deep. It is a mystery why they have all died, but a Lightning Ridge local fisherman suggests there is not enough oxygen in the water for the amount of fish. There is still an amazing amount of fish with their mouths out of the water, they will probably also die. These fish must have been washed down in flood water and have been left behind in the dam as the waters have dried up. European Carp is an introduced species, first caught from the Murray River in South Australia but now established as a major pest throughout Australia. Their feeding habits has a detrimental effect on the natural ecosystems in freshwater systems, hence carp are identified as a noxious species. The amount of dead fish at the dam has brought an amazing amount of birdlife to the area and there are signs of feral pigs having a feast. These fish aren’t of much use to the rivers, but it is sad to see the thousands that have been stranded in this dam to die. –The Ridge