Darling River, Menindee: One million fish found dead in water catchment as ... trends now A million dead fish discovered floating in one of Australia's largest rivers as officials race to investigate Up to one million native fish dead in Darling River Devastated locals have demanded answers Drought in 2019 saw fish die in the same area Government officials are currently investigating By Olivia Day For Daily Mail Australia Published: 04:46 GMT, 17 March 2023 | Updated: 04:46 GMT, 17 March 2023 Viewcomments A million fish have been found dead in a water catchment in NSW's far west as locals to demand answers and government officials rush to investigate. Shocking footage of thousands of dead fish floating on the surface of the Darling River at Menindee, near Broken Hill, has devastated locals this week. The area has seen other significant fish kills, with hundreds of thousands of bony herring, golden perch and carp found floating in the water in January, 2019. Three species of native fish were found dead in the Murray-Darling basin this week as the community dubs the latest fish kill the worst in history. NSW's Department of Primary Industries (DPI) fisheries arm has sent officers to the site to investigate as shocked locals fear for the town's water supply. Up to one million fish have died in a fresh water catchment in NSW's far west as locals demand answers and government officials investigate (pictured, the fish in the Darling River) Local Geoff Looney posted a series of troubling photos from the basin and questioned if there would be a state inquiry into what was killing the native fish 'It worries me a lot as this water is used for our town supply of water and a lot of people drink it,' local Geoff Looney said of the latest fish kill in Menindee, far west NSW Geoff Looney posted a series of troubling photos from the basin and questioned if there would be a state inquiry into what was killing the native fish. 'It worries me a lot as this water is used for our town supply of water and a lot of people drink it,' he said. Cameron Lay, director of freshwater environments at DPI Fisheries, said the deaths of hundreds of thousands of bony brim was 'distressing'. 'As they move back into regular conditions they tend to have a fairly significant die off and that's what we're seeing here at the moment,' he told the ABC. 'Although we're concerned about water quality, at the moment we're responsibly encouraged that there hasn't been a large number of our native Murray cod or golden perch.' In 2019, locals took pictures of the hundreds of thousands of fish (pictured) found dead along a 40-kilometre stretch of the Darling River after a prolonged drought period A WaterNSW spokesperson said monitoring of the water quality at Menindee Lakes had increased over the last few months after prolonged flooding in the area. 'WaterNSW is working to support agencies such as DPI Fisheries by operating the lakes to ensure the best quality water is released downstream,' a statement read. As floodwaters flow back in to rivers it can reduce oxygen levels and leave fish literally 'gasping' for air at the surface of the water. 'These fish deaths are related to low oxygen levels in the water (hypoxia) as flood waters recede,' the DPI spokesman said. In 2019, hundreds of thousands of fish were found dead in the Menindee Lakes following a significant period of drought and a drop in temperatures. DPI fisheries said the 2019 fish kill was the result of 'critically low levels of dissolved oxygen' linked to the mixing of weir pool water following a drop in temperature. At the time, the government pointed the finger at Canberra and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority for authorising water releases from the Menindee basin when water levels were higher. The state government have blamed the 'environmental catastrophe' of the dying fish (pictured) on the weather The Murray Darling Basin Authority drained the Menindee Lakes twice in 2014 and then 2017 to transport water downstream. Locals have shared their horror at the fish kill on community Facebook pages. 'A tragedy on a devastated river that is sadly in need of some TLC,' one said. 'Shocking! If it happened on the coast there would be uproar,' a second wrote. 'So sad to see this happening in the Darling River. We need to know why the fish have died. Our native fish are very special,' a third commented. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility