Council investigates mass eel, fish deaths at Dowse Lagoon

Hundreds of eels and fish have floated to the surface at a Brisbane lagoon after dying in mysterious circumstances at the weekend, leaving a southeast Queensland council with no choice but to try to get to the bottom of the cause.

Some of the dead fish at Dowse Lagoon, Sandgate. Picture: Frank Box

COUNCIL is investigating the death of hundreds of eels and fish at a Brisbane lagoon.

Brisbane City Council officers inspected Dowse Lagoon in Sandgate at the weekend and said the dead fish and eels had been removed.

The Department of Environment and Science was also advised of the fish kill and visited the site.

Hundreds of eels have died at Dowse Lagoon, Sandgate. Picture: Frank Box

A spokesman said the deaths “are most likely a natural event”.

“Recent rainfall has risen water levels in the lagoon, inundating vegetation around the perimeter of the lagoon causing it to decompose, resulting in low dissolved oxygen levels,” he said.

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However Keep Sandgate Beautiful Association member Frank Box said “something’s going on”.

“We’ve had heavy rain recently and there’s vegetation growing in the lagoon,” Mr Box said.

“All the vegetation growing there is wetland vegetation and it doesn’t seem likely that the volume of vegetation that has died and rotted would cause this sort of death.”

Mr Box said he first noticed the dead fish last Wednesday, February 19.

“We were down there at the lagoon and saw quite big fish about 20cm long, probably tilapia, and some eels that were dying.

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“We were down there yesterday (Sunday) and there were hundreds of eels dead or dying and lots of small fish.

“Apparently there was a lung fish that was dead as well.

“The Australian eel is a pretty tough animal. They’ve been surviving in an extremely small body of water for a long time so they must be tough.”