Near to zero oxygen levels cause mass fish deaths in Bagan Datuk
Initial investigations found that the DO content at the location was between 0.4 and 0.42 milligrammes per litre (mg/L), a level far too low to sustain aquatic life.
IPOH – Critically low levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) have been identified as the main cause behind the mass death of thousands of freshwater fish in Bagan Datuk on June 10.
Perak Department of Fisheries director Mohd Ghazali A Manap said initial investigations found that the DO content at the location was between 0.4 and 0.42 milligrammes per litre (mg/L), a level far too low to sustain aquatic life.
"Initial monitoring recorded about 50 kilogrammes of freshwater fish, including species such as climbing perch (puyu), tilapia, snakehead (haruan) and several others, suddenly dying.
"This is truly shocking because even species like the climbing perch, which are usually hardy and can breathe in air, have been affected," he told Sinar.
He said the drop in the DO levels usually occured due to the increased decomposition of organic matter.
He explained that common contributing factors included the discharge of palm oil mill waste, domestic sewage, excessive fertiliser use and the dumping of other organic waste into nearby drainage systems or rivers.
"A team of officers from the State Fisheries Department was deployed to the location immediately after receiving reports from the public to carry out preliminary investigations and collect samples for further analysis.
"Samples of dead fish and water have been sent to the Fisheries Research Laboratory for microbiological and chemical studies to identify the type of organic matter responsible for the deaths," he said.
Meanwhile, Ghazali also confirmed that the dead fish from the incident were not safe for consumption.
"Village residents cooperated in collecting and burying the fish carcasses as safety and hygiene measures," he added.
Previously, Sinar Harian reported a sudden mass fish death that shocked residents of Kampung Sungai Payung and Sungai Tiang Baroh near Selekoh, where thousands of freshwater fish were found floating lifeless on the surface of drains and main village waterways.
The incident was discovered on Monday after the drain water turned reddish and emitted a pungent odour resembling shrimp paste (belacan).
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