Status: 08/19/2022 12:05 p.m
The cause of the fish kill in the Oder is still unclear. Samples from the Small Lagoon in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania gave no new evidence. Environment Minister Backhaus accused Poland of a lack of cooperation.
The cause of the fish kill in the Oder has still not been found. Extensive samples from the Small Lagoon in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which is part of the Szczecin Lagoon, have not provided any indication of what led to the environmental disaster.
The corresponding samples were taken on August 13th, 15th and 18th from the waters of the small lagoon, said Till Backhaus, Minister of the Environment of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. These samples were then examined in private, officially accredited laboratories. According to Backhaus, parallel to these extensive samples, water samples are constantly taken, which are examined, among other things, for their oxygen content or the conductivity of the water.
According to Backhaus, the samples examined in the private laboratories were checked for a total of 211 organic pollutant compounds. The result: No abnormalities were found.
“No dead fish in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania”
Backhaus spoke of a “huge tension” in view of the environmental catastrophe in and on the Oder. At the same time, however, he emphasized that they had not yet reached Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. According to the SPD politician, there are “no dead fish” in his state. The “ecological catastrophe” is currently reaching south of Szczecin – it is still around 60 kilometers from the Small Lagoon and 90 kilometers from the Baltic Sea.
Nevertheless, the authorities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have issued a bathing warning for the waters in the Oder estuary area. In the neighboring state of Brandenburg, where fish kills have already occurred, there is a bathing ban. According to Backhaus, this should continue to apply until at least August 25th.
Clear criticism of missing information
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Environment Minister described the search for the cause of the disaster as “looking for a needle in a haystack”. Previous investigations in Brandenburg and Poland did not yield any concrete indications. Poisonous algae species were recently the focus of the investigation. However, it is still unclear whether the fish kills can be attributed to them.
Backhaus announced further comprehensive investigations. Samples of live fish, algae or mussels are also to be examined. At the same time, the SPD politician called for significantly better and more transparent cooperation between his state, Brandenburg and Poland. Backhaus directed sharp criticism at Poland in particular: Polish authorities only sent extensive information to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Thursday evening. And this despite the fact that the “poison wave” first “hit in Poland”, says Backhaus. Therefore, in his opinion, the cause should also be found there.
Environment Minister Lemke promises companies help
On the German side, the massive death of fish in the Oder became known on August 9th. In Poland, on the other hand, there were already first indications of fish carcasses in the border river at the end of July. Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke announced in an interview with “Spiegel” that the federal government would support the state of Brandenburg “in the ongoing analyzes of the cause of damage via the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Institute for Hydrology”. She expects the results of these tests by the end of the month.
In addition, Lemke held out the prospect of aid for companies suffering damage or losses as a result of the environmental disaster. The cabinet had discussed “that we will get help for the companies affected by the disaster if that becomes necessary”.