Fishy happenings in the Ncandu River
In what has been dubbed a murky mystery, approximately 26 dead fish have been found. Pushed up against a wall of debris close to a small bridge, the eerily quiet scene was rank with the stench of the unknown.
The smell of decay, algae and death wafted up from the water as the fish floated peacefully, belly up in the slight current.
In what has been dubbed a murky mystery, approximately 26 dead fish have been found. Pushed up against a wall of debris close to a small bridge, the eerily quiet scene was rank with the stench of the unknown.
A car passed on the bridge overhead, breaking the onlooker’s reverie. Speaking loudly to be heard over the sound of running water, Bradley Gibbons, Field Officer for the Threatened Grassland Species Programme, explained his confusion.
“I’ve seen water in a much worse condition,” he said. “But my best guess would be contamination of some sort from further upriver.”
With no obvious signs of pollution or anything amiss, other than the dead fish, the case has been dubbed a mystery by investigators.
Last week, a resident stumbled upon the ghostly scene. “This is absolutely disgusting. I want to know how these fish died, and why!” he exclaimed.
According to Internet sources, the following are the most common factors that can cause mass fish death: Oxygen depletion, diseases and parasites, toxins, algae blooms and red tides, biological decay, spawning fatalities, water temperatures, underwater explosions or droughts and overstocking.
The best estimates so far identify the species as carp and barbel, discounting theories of a type of fish called tilapia or kurper, a species that easily succumbs to a sudden drop in water temperature.
According to Mr Gibbons, he took a member of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife to the river.
“After taking a look, the representative has contacted people from the Department of Water Affairs,” he said. “I contacted DWAF myself on their national number last week.”
The water would need to be tested by officials, and samples taken of the fish to discount poison or pollution.
Several phone calls and emails later, Mr Gibbons still has not received any response. The watery grave that claimed these aquatic beings remains, for now, a murky mystery.
