Fish deaths recorded in Zhytomyr. Environmental inspectors are looking for the cause

Fish deaths recorded in Zhytomyr. Environmental inspectors are looking for the cause suspilne.media/zhytomyr
Maria Semenova

At the same time, oxygen levels in the water are within normal limits

Residents of Zhytomyr noticed dead fish near the shore of the Sokolivsky pond. Currently, the ice has not yet completely frozen, so the scale of the die-off is not yet known. However, ecologists are already trying to determine the cause by taking samples from both the pond itself and the Kroshenka River, which flows nearby.

This was reported by Suspilne.

The situation was noticed by locals

Journalists learned about the death of the fish from local residents. Fishermen suggest that one of the factors that led to the death of the fish may be weather conditions.

"It's very stuffy. There's a lot of ice this year. The water is still so smelly, which is why the fish are dying," says Alexander.

Another local resident, Vitaliy, said that this pond is generally not very clean and the fish from there smell unpleasant.

The causes are still unclear

The ice has melted only along the shoreline, so specialized services do not yet have a complete picture of the event. The fisheries patrol recorded the death of several fish species – crucian carp, perch, roach, silver carp, and ruff.

"At the moment we cannot survey the center of the river. We can only work along the shoreline, where the ice has melted. There, we can count them. An official act will be drawn up, and the total number of dead fish will be calculated. This act will then be sent to the Polissia Regional Environmental Inspectorate for the calculation of damages," Roman Demianchuk told journalists.

Oxygen is likely not the main issue

Representatives of the Polissia Regional Environmental Inspectorate visited the site. For analysis, they took water samples from both the Sokolivskyi pond and the adjacent Kroshenka River.

"We collected water samples and measured the dissolved oxygen, which was within the normal range at 8.3. The water samples will be sent to the state environmental inspectorate for further analysis," said Vitalii Polivchuk, chief specialist at the Polissia Regional Environmental Inspectorate.

suspilne.media/zhytomyr

Source: Suspilne

The fisheries patrol emphasized that, when encountering a fish die-off, it is critical to follow safety guidelines. Such fish should not be taken home or consumed, as the cause of death is unknown and could pose a risk to human health.

EcoPolitic previously reported on the criticism faced by bill No. 12384. According to activists, lawmakers, in their effort to develop the fish market, are creating hazardous conditions for water safety.

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