Status: 08/20/2022 11:45 a.m
According to the Brandenburg Environment Ministry, excessive pesticide values have been detected at a measuring point in the Oder. However, the cause of the fish kill in the border river has not yet been clarified.
In the search for the causes of the mass deaths of fish in the Oder, the Berlin-Brandenburg State Laboratory found excessive levels of pesticides. The Brandenburg Environment Ministry announced that samples taken at the Frankfurt (Oder) measuring point between August 7th and 9th found high concentrations of a pesticide with the active ingredient 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. However, it can be assumed that the detected dose was not immediately fatal to fish.
The active ingredient is used, for example, to combat weeds. The “Tagesspiegel” reported on the increased pesticide load. The Ministry said that it can still be assumed that the environmental disaster had several causes. However, the excessive concentration of the pesticide over several days certainly had an impact on animals, plants and microorganisms. It is possible that the pesticide was present in even higher concentrations in the upper reaches of the Oder and was already heavily diluted at the Frankfurt (Oder) measuring point.
Polish fire brigade recovers more than 150 tons of fish
According to their own statements, the Polish fire brigade alone has so far recovered almost 160 tons of dead fish from the Oder and a smaller river. The spokeswoman for the fire brigade headquarters told the dpa news agency that there were a total of 158 tons. The majority of this is accounted for by the dead fish from the Oder. According to earlier information from the Ministry of the Environment, at least 36 tons were recovered in Brandenburg.
The small river in Poland is the Ner, which has its source south of Lodz and flows into the Warta. He has no connection to the Oder. Dead fish have also been floating in the Ner for a few days. The cause has not yet been clarified.
The mass death of fish in the border river Oder became known on the German side on August 9th. The German authorities recently accused Poland of informing them too late. According to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, hundreds of different substances in the fish are currently being investigated to investigate the causes. Scientists say a toxic species of algae could be a key factor in fish kills. But that has not yet been proven. Other substances are currently being investigated.