The fish kill in the Oder is a major natural disaster. Now it is feared that the pollution will also spread to the Baltic Sea. It could be as far as Sunday evening. The Ministry of the Environment is therefore warning residents.
The Ministry of the Environment in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania expects the effects of the fish kill in the Oder on the Szczecin Lagoon. It is to be expected that the loads will already reach the mouth of the Oder near Szczecin (Poland) in the evening, depending on wind and current conditions, the ministry wrote in a statement late on Friday evening. In the course of Saturday, the Western Pomeranian part of the Szczecin Lagoon could also be affected.
As a precaution, the Ministry of Till Backhaus (SPD) therefore called on residents to refrain from fishing in and taking water from the water – regardless of use. The responsible authorities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are currently preparing water and fish samples.
The cause of mass fish deaths along the Oder is not yet clear. Previous laboratory analyzes did not bring any precise information about the pollution of the water and the causes. Since the cause of the environmental disaster is suspected to be in Poland, accusations have already been made in Germany that the neighboring country did not provide information in good time and did not follow the usual reporting chain for such events.
In the Oder border area, hundreds of helpers are busy collecting dead animals. In the small town of Lebus near Frankfurt, the decomposition caused an unpleasant smell, as a dpa reporter noted. You could also see birds carrying away dead fish.
Rescuers wore rubber boots and gloves to protect themselves from direct contact with the water and fish. “I expect several tons of fish that we get out,” said Thomas Rubin for the district administration. Around 80 kilometers in length, around 300 helpers are mainly on the road.
