The death of fish between Jurien Bay and Leeman’s coastline creates havoc in the fishing industry. Department of Fisheries Senior Fish Pathologist Dr Brian Jones said it would appear that the cause could be low oxygen levels, brought on by high water temperatures and hot, still, weather conditions. He added that warm water holds less oxygen, making it worse for fish stressed by the abnormally high water temperatures.
Dr Jones also said that the de-oxygenation events are also tied to the seasonal decomposition of algae within the water body, a process that also removes oxygen from the water. Unconfirmed reports of coral spawning can also be the reason of fish death, says Dr Jones.
Dr Jones said these were natural events precipitated by the combination of calm oceans and hot weather conditions. The occurrence of low dissolved oxygen levels is a natural regional phenomena, he said. According to Dr Jones the department should have taken the samples of a fish kill early then there was a greater chance to accurately identify the cause.
