Fish die as river level falls

By dnichols

HUNDREDS of fish corpses floated on the surface of the River Cary at Somerton after they died from oxygen starvation.

Brian Kent of Bancome Road awoke on Saturday to see the devastation on the river which runs behind his home. Concerned about possible chemical contamination, he informed the Environment Agency, whose staff took samples for investigation.

A spokesman for the agency later confirmed the death of 250 fish, mainly carp, in a mile radius was caused by algae which had flourished due to the low water levels resulting from the recent dry spell. The algae starved the fish of oxygen.

Amateur angler Mr Kent said: "I could not believe how many dead fish were floating on the river and the smell was horrible. I think it will take ten years before the full amount of fish can be replaced."

Mike Dunning of the Environment Agency said: "We've been out to the river and have carried out various checks and the oxygen levels in the river now seem to be normal.

"There was no sign of any farming pollution and the sewage treatment works near the river had no part in this either.

"The area affected was a two-kilometre stretch starting at Etsome, near Compton Dundon, and going downstream towards Pitney Bridge. Upstream, there is still a healthy population of fish.

"We now plan to set up remote devices to allow us to track the oxygen levels and water temperature in the river."

A similar sight was seen by walkers strolling beside the River Parrett at the Monks Leaze Clyse Sluice a year ago. The death of so many fish then was attributed to an influx of nutrient-rich water running off farmland after heavy rain, reducing oxygen levels in the river.

In November, the Environment Agency released more than 20,000 fish into the rivers Yeo and Parrett, but it is not known whether the agency will replace the fish in the River Cary.