Townsville City Council cleaning up dead fish from banks of Ross River after severe weather event

Townsville City Council has revealed its plan to deal with a smelly issue after a major weather event caused a mass fish kill. DETAILS

A dead fish on the banks of the Ross River. Picture: Townsville City Council

Townsville City Council are cleaning up a large number of dead fish that died after the severe weather event that led to localised flooding in Townsville.

The fish, which may have been flushed out of the Ross River Dam during peak flows, have been found along the banks of the Ross River in Douglas and Annandale.

After the 2019 floods, it was estimated 100,000 fish weighing about 100 tonnes died.

The council says the number of dead or dying fish, which includes large barramundi, may increase over the coming days, with residents asked to report sightings.

A team of council workers are collecting the dead fish, and they will be turned into a natural fertiliser for the riverbanks.

A dead fish seen in the Ross River after the severe weather event. Picture: Toni Gerrard/Facebook

Where it is not safe for the fish to be collected, the council team are applying a biological stimulant to reduce odour and speed up the decomposition process.

These treated fish lose odour quickly and become biologically safe for the river.

Acting Mayor Ann-Maree Greaney said the council crews had been proactively responding to the fish kill as reported.

“Council crews have been out and cleaning up the dead fish to reduce odour and risk to community,” Cr Greaney said.

“Unfortunately, fish kills are to be expected after the large amount of rain and water we’ve had flushed from the dam and into our waterways.

“The treated fish frames are able to become a natural fertiliser after it goes through a quick biological transformational process.”

Division 6 Councillor Suzy Batkovic said she was pleased the council was able to prioritise staff during a busy clean-up to quickly get onto the job after the dead fish were reported.

“The Ross River will take a bit of time to get back to normal after such a big rain event, but Council crews will be out there working to make sure any issues are fixed as soon as possible,” Cr Batkovic said.

Originally published as Townsville City Council cleaning up dead fish from banks of Ross River after severe weather event