Fish kills involve a sudden and significant death of fish and/or other aquatic animals such as crabs and marron, and are characterised by a large number of aquatic animals dying during a short period of time, often in a defined area. The Swan Canning Riverpark can experience fish kill events of varying intensity.
One of the most common factors behind fish deaths in the Swan Canning Riverpark is oxygen depletion. Evidence suggests that fish will move away from low oxygen areas, however hypoxic conditions (dissolved oxygen of less than 2mg/L) will put fish under stress, and anoxic (no oxygen) waters will result in fish deaths, particularly if the change to anoxic conditions is very sudden. Low oxygen can be caused by a number of factors.
Other causes of fish death include:
When there is a fish kill in the Swan Canning Riverpark, Parks and Wildlife forms an Incident Management Team and follows Statewide response procedures established by the departments of Water and Fisheries.
Parks and Wildlife encourages the public to report dead or sluggish fish in the Swan Canning Riverpark on 9278 0900 or after hours on 9278 0981. Provide as much information as possible including:
For your safety, you should never consume fish in the vicinity of a fish kill or come into contact with affected fish or water. Do not collect fish in these circumstances.