Over 100 fish found dead in Chaka’s Rock tidal pool

An estimated 150 fish were discovered dead in the Chaka’s Rock tidal pool this morning, the day after thousands of dead fish washed up at the Umhlali River Mouth.

At this stage, there is no evidence to suggest the two incidents are linked.

The popular snorkelling site, famous locally for its parrotfish population, also saw dozens of fish in visible distress, moving slowly and erratically.

When the Courier visited the site, municipal general workers and community volunteers had already collected and removed most of the dead fish. Teams were carefully scooping up the remaining live fish from the tidal pool and transferring them to the ocean.

One volunteer, Umang Patel, a holidaymaker from Pietermaritzburg, spotted the mass of dead fish at about 5.30am using his binoculars before heading down to assist volunteers.

KwaDukuza’s head of marine safety Steve Honeysett said while the water was slightly smelly and discoloured, he could not detect any visible signs of pollution coming from residences above.

Noting the extremely low water level, he also inspected the tidal pool wall for cracks but found no visible signs of water seeping out.

“I don’t believe this is related to yesterday’s incident at the Umhlali River,” said Honeysett.

“With the calm seas we’ve had lately, the pool hasn’t flushed adequately and the water level has dropped. Consequently, the blazing sun has killed off exposed growth that is normally underwater, starving the pool of oxygen.”

He said water samples had been collected for testing and all the local lifeguard stations had been notified to check whether any other tidal pools had been affected.

Dolphin Coast Conservancy chairperson Tessa Duane said she believed the issue was caused by overheating. A probe measured the water temperature at 30°C, about three degrees higher than the upper range of average ocean temperatures for this time of year.

She said the elevated temperatures could have caused oxygen levels to drop.

As a precautionary measure, the municipality has temporarily closed both the Umhlali River Mouth and the Chaka’s Rock tidal pool to the public with immediate effect.

During the closure, the public is strictly advised to:

• Refrain from swimming or entering the water.
• Avoid fishing, collecting marine life or participating in any water-related activities.
• Keep children and pets away from the affected areas.

“Relevant authorities are actively monitoring the situation and will provide updates as further information becomes available,” reads the beach closure notice.

“The affected areas will only be reopened once it has been confirmed that conditions are safe for public use.”

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