Low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water caused a ‘fish kill’ in Joes Creek at Batehaven last weekend.
Several hundred fish died and were either floating in the creek or had been washed out of the creek onto Corrigans Beach.
Council staff arrived to clean up the area shortly after receiving notification from NSW EPA on Saturday.
Fish kills are not uncommon during the warmer months in Eurobodalla’s smaller intermittently open lakes, lagoons and small creeks, with low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water causing the phenomenon.
A spokesperson for Council said a combination of factors including water levels, warm water temperatures, and organic matter entering the creek likely contributed to dissolved oxygen levels dropping too low to sustain marine life.
Joes Creek had been opened by the Council on Friday 3 March because water had reached trigger levels where flooding of infrastructure and private property was likely. Batemans Marine Park and NSW Fisheries were advised ahead of the opening, and the opening was undertaken in accordance with a Marine Parks permit.
