Dead fish Clontarf: Mystery over surfacing of dead marine life at popular beach
Authorities are investigating what could be a “mini disaster” at a Sydney beach following the unexplained discovery of dead marine.
Manly
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An alarming number of rotting fish have washed onto Clontarf shores, sparking urgent calls for authorities to investigate.
But it may remain a mystery after Sydney Water claimed there was “no evidence” of the cause in an initial investigations.
The council has also stated there was “no sign of pollution”, however, it stated later on there was a sewage spill.
The reports began last week when Manly resident Ben Own posted a picture of dead fish he came across on Sandy Bay, a beach located north of Clontarf.
“A lot of fish at Sandy Bay Clontarf this morning, not sure why. Variety of fish, about 10 octopus, eight pelicans eating the rest which could mean a problem for them later,” Mr Own wrote on Friday.
The Facebook post exploded with comments from residents who’d made similar observations and shared their theories about what had caused it.
Some people said they’d noticed “black sludge” coming from pipes, but some thought something toxic may have been dumped into the ocean.
Speaking to the Manly Daily Mr Own said he’d never witnessed so many rotting fish.
“There was a lot of fish bone in the sand and people were swimming. I think it has passed now but at the time it could have been dangerous, I wonder if people felt unwell over the weekend after going for a swim,” Mr Own said.
“There’s been debris coming out of pipes all summer but on that day [Friday] there was noticeably a lot of dead fish.
“So I don’t think it was down to the black sludge, I think that’s fairly normal there. My feeling was it came from something dumped out in the water in the sea rather than something in the drains.”
Resident Yasmin Suzi had a different theory.
“I think the council is very relaxed about the amount of excavation and development happening in the area and there is an impact to the environment,” Ms Suzi said.
“Last week they dug up a site which lines up to the stormwater drain and now there’s dead fish.
“Council’s environmental officers have come and had a look and said there is nothing they could see so they packed up. Me and a number of residents had to ring Sydney Water.”
She said it looked like the council and Sydney Water were playing “the blame game”.
“I’d like to have transparency and accountability between these two agencies. I feel like these two institutions don’t work together.
“The kids are swimming in the same water, it could be a mini disaster.”
Concerned resident Sangeeta Leach, published a post on Facebook on Sunday urging residents to stay away from the water.
“Three days after numerous dead fish and octopus found in Clontarf waters and raw sewage flowing into the sea, Sydney Water has arrived to test it. In the meantime, hundreds of families are queuing to get into Clontarf car park,” Ms Leach wrote.
“So many people, especially small children are swimming in foul water. Please share this widely so people can avoid the area for a bit.”
On Sunday resident Elizabeth Dearberg told a community group on Facebook that her dog became sick after they attended Sandy Bay reserve.
Northern Beaches Council’s chief executive Ray Brownlee confirmed the council’s environmental officers attended the site after receiving a request from the EPA over two dead fish.
“They [the fish] were taken for investigation as required. No sign of pollution was observed at the time of inspection,” Mr Brownlee said.
“In a separate incident, Sydney Water notified Council yesterday evening of a sewerage spill at Clontarf and have put up warning signs and are taking steps to manage the situation. Council has sought an update from Sydney Water.”
A Sydney Water spokeswoman said they would continue to investigate.
“Sydney Water received reports of contaminated fish and an odour at Sandy Bay in Clontarf on Friday 22 January 2021,” the Sydney Water spokeswoman said.
“Crews attended immediately but found no evidence of the report. A preliminary investigation remains underway which includes signage and water sampling as a precaution.”
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