Status: 08/12/2022 4:25 p.m
Thousands of fish died in the Oder. on what? That has not yet been clarified. Polish authorities assume there is a “substance” in the water. Conservationists fear that the consequences could be felt for years.
After thousands of fish died in the Oder on the border with Poland, the cause is still unclear. However, some clues lead to Poland: the authorities there now assume that a criminal offense is the cause of the mass deaths of fish.
“It is most likely that we are dealing with a crime where a substance has been added to the water that causes the death of fish and other organisms,” said Poland’s Deputy Climate and Environment Minister Jacek Ozdoba. According to the Polish Environmental Protection Agency, the fish kill was likely caused by industrial water pollution.
Dead fish are examined
Some of the dead fish from the Oder are now to be examined for metals, pesticides and other toxic substances in a Polish state research institute. Results are expected on Sunday at the earliest. So far, the State Research Institute in Pulawy has not received any fish, head Krzysztof Niemczuk told the PAP news agency.
There are so many substances that could have caused fish kills that at this point we cannot say what could be the cause.
Lots of mercury detected
In Germany, there had previously been speculation about mercury contamination of the Oder. The Brandenburg Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) confirmed reports that mercury pollution had been found in the Oder. “But at the moment we can’t say that mercury is responsible for the death of the fish,” Vogel said.
We don’t know at the moment how they really died.
Low water could be reason
A combination of several factors such as heat, low water supply and toxins is also possible, said Vogel. “It may well be that these are substances that have been introduced into the Oder for a long time, but normally do not pose a problem at all with medium water.”
However, there are currently historical low water levels on the Oder. Such small amounts of water meant that every substance in the water was present in a higher concentration, Vogel said. Therefore, it could well be that substances that are normally not so serious in the dosage are now dangerous due to the increased dose.
drones in action
It has now been clarified that fish are also dying in Germany and that it is not just dead animals that have been washed up from Poland, said the Environment Minister.
The District Administrator for the Uckermark district, Karina Dörk, said that the area along the Oder will be flown over with drones to see how the fish kill is developing. An operation to collect the dead fish is planned for tomorrow on the German side.
Reporting chains in Poland failed
Meanwhile, there is growing criticism of the Polish authorities. Because, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure in Warsaw, they had indications of a fish death on the Oder at the end of July – but did not pass this on to the German authorities.
In the days from July 26th to 28th there were the first corresponding signals in Poland. Water samples were then taken and dead fish were recovered. This results from a calendar of the Polish water authority, which the ministry published on Twitter on Friday.
In the days after July 28, the samples would then have indicated an unusually low oxygen content in the water. On August 4, the Environmental Protection Agency in Wroclaw found a toxic substance in samples taken in the Lipki lock near Olawa. A complaint was made to the public prosecutor’s office on August 9th.
Message chains didn’t work
The Greens parliamentary group leader in the Brandenburg state parliament, Benjamin Raschke, said: “I am shocked. Not only by the thousands of deaths of the fish, but also by the failure of the information chain from Poland,” he said. If simple reporting chains do not work in the event of an ecological catastrophe, there is a fundamental need for discussion.
The Greens spokeswoman in Frankfurt (Oder), Alena Karaschinski, sees it similarly. She said the frustration runs deep over the breach of trust in the room.
A multiple failure of information obligations and possibly even an attempt to cover up an environmental disaster. This will have to be dealt with at federal level between Germany and Poland.
Consequences for national park
The massive fish deaths are not only likely to put a strain on confidence in the Polish authorities. Conservationists assume far-reaching consequences for the Lower Oder Valley National Park.
“The effects are just terrible,” said Deputy National Park Director Michael Tautenhahn. Sea eagles and other birds could ingest poison from the dead fish. The Lower Oder Valley National Park is one of the most species-rich habitats in Germany.
The consequences are likely to be felt for years to come
According to the assessment of Brandenburg’s Environment Minister Vogel, the consequences of the fish kill will be felt for years to come. “For the Oder as an ecologically valuable body of water, this is a blow from which it will probably not recover for several years,” said the Green politician during a visit to the region. The fish stocks would first have to be rebuilt slowly.
If the zooplankton, i.e. the small creatures in the Oder, are also damaged – and this can be assumed to be the case – it will take a long time before sufficient food for the fish can be found in the Oder again.
Baltic probably not endangered
Vogel does not see a serious threat to the Baltic Sea from toxic substances that could get there via the river. “First of all, I would assume that whatever is currently in the Oder will be diluted to such an extent that it will no longer cause any damage in the Baltic Sea,” he said.
However, there is still no reliable information on this.