700 to 1,000 dead fish removed from Lovaart canal; cause unclear

Civil Protection teams have removed an estimated 700 to 1,000 dead fish from the Lovaart canal in Alveringem and Veurne, Belgium. The fish, of various species and sizes, were found floating due to a severe depletion of oxygen in the water, though the precise cause of this oxygen drop is still under investigation.

Liliane Stinissen of the Flemish Waterway confirmed that most of the deceased fish have been removed, with only a few remaining lodged in hard-to-reach areas. She explained that the oxygen levels dropped significantly in a specific zone of the canal, while remaining normal in other areas, leading authorities to rule out the recent heatwave as the cause of the fish kill.

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All gestorven vissen zijn grotendeels verwijderd, behalve de vissen die nog ergens vastzaten in een hoek aan een brug.

"We are certain that it was not caused by the heatwave," Stinissen stated. "The oxygen level only dropped in a certain zone. In other zones, it was normal."

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The oxygen value was only reduced in a certain zone. In the other zones, it is normal. This way we can exclude the heat.

Authorities are considering the possibility that a substance may have been dumped into the water, causing the drastic decline in oxygen. "We hope that people, seeing the consequences now, will certainly not dump anything into the water anymore to prevent such situations," Stinissen urged.

While the environmental police may take action if the cause is identified, Stinissen acknowledged that tracing the source could be difficult. As oxygen levels have since returned to normal, personnel will not conduct additional checks. However, all waterways are regularly monitored.

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We hope that people, if they now see what the consequences are, will certainly not dump anything into the water anymore to prevent such situations.