Even the fish are gasping for air in the heatwave

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The Times June 17, 2006 Last gasp: drought and algae could leave fish without enough oxygen and threaten stocks (DAVID VEIS / EPA) Even the fish are gasping for air in the heatwaveBy Lewis Smith, Environment Reporter THE heat wave has killed thousands of fish, and many more may die if the drought in the South East continues, the Environment Agency has said. As the coarse season began yesterday, the agency said that the dead fish had been suffocated by an explosion of algae brought on by hot weather. It said that the algae were exhausting the oxygen in ponds, lakes and streams across the country. More than 5,000 fish died at Cuckoo’s Hollow, a lake near Peterborough, and 3,000 at a commercial coarse fishery in Worcester. A further 1,500 died at Captains Pit in the Wirral and 1,000 at Old Bedford counter-drain in Cambridgeshire. Conservationists have been fighting to keep fish alive in four locations by pumping air into the water. The Environment Agency said that the deaths were an “early indicator” that more waterways would become deoxygenised over the summer. It has asked anglers to get in contact if they saw fish in distress. Dafydd Evans, its head of fisheries, said that drought conditions in the South East could threaten stocks. “The combination of hot weather and low water levels can make fish distressed and lead to

death,” Dr Evans said. “It’s usually OK to fish during a drought, but anglers should pay careful attention to how the fish are behaving.” Mr Evans explained: “In hot weather, fast-growing freshwater algae increase their activity, which can exhaust much of the dissolved oxygen in streams, ponds and lakes, depriving fish species of the oxygen they need to survive.” At Cuckoo’s Hollow, where roach, pike and eel were among the fatalities, the oxygen level dropped to 5 per cent; 100 per cent is normal in daylight, but this drops severely at night. Rapid changes in weather condition can also kill fish. Pollutants and run-off affect water quality, while cloudy, cooler weather can kill algal blooms, which releases vast amounts of carbon dioxide. Aerating machines were brought in to the Mansbridge Reservoir at Southampton after a member of the public noticed fish gasping and alerted the Environment Agency. The freshwater deaths oc- curred as the

United Nations said that exploitation of the deep seas was “rapidly passing the point of no return”. The UN said that 60 per cent of sea life was at risk because of intensive fishing and dumping. The species that have suffered most include tuna, cod, swordfish and marlin, which have declined by up to 90 per cent in 100 years. Consumption of sea fish has risen fourfold in 42 years. More than 46,000 pieces of plastic litter are floating on every square mile of ocean. In the Central Pacific, there are up to 6lb (2.7kg) of marine litter to 1lb (0.45kg) of plankton. Achim Steiner, of the UN Environment Programme, said: “Humankind’s ability to exploit the deep oceans and high seas has accelerated over recent years. It is a pace of change that has outstripped our institutions and conservation efforts.We need to bring the lessons learnt in coastal water to the wider marine world.” Peter H

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