Minister joins research team following massive fish deaths in Oder River

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German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (R) speaks with Christian Wolter from the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) as they stand on board a research vessel on the German-Polish border river Oder. Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa
German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (R) speaks with Christian Wolter from the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) as they stand on board a research vessel on the German-Polish border river Oder. Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa

 

Emmanuel Thomas, with DPA l Wednesday, April 26, 2023

 

LEIBNIZ – German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke is joining scientists on a research trip on the Oder river on Tuesday as experts seek to clarify the mass fish deaths in the river last summer.

Lemke is travelling to the western Polish region between Kostrzyn nad Odrą on the Polish border and Hohensaaten to assess the ecological damage, the ministry said.

Accompanying Lemke are researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), who will gather data on the fish stock after the environmental disaster last August.

Hundreds of tons of dead fish were discovered in the river, which runs south to north between Germany and Poland. The exact cause is still unclear and there are fears that a similar disaster could occur this summer.

In a press release, Lemke said the data on fish stock would clarify what led to the environmental disaster and help direct protection and regeneration measures.
The Environment Ministry is also providing millions of euros in funding for an IGB research project on the Oder River with millions.

So far, scientists say factors include high salinity, low water levels, high temperatures and the toxin of a type of algae in the mass fish deaths.

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