Mass fish kill reported in Byron region waterways

The rivers in the Byron region of New South Wales are filled with dead fish due to a recent fish kill. Thousands of flathead, bream, and prawns have suffocated in waterways affected by Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Local residents are seeing eels and mud crabs crawling out of oxygen-depleted water and dying on the shore. Lucy van der Hoeven, a Ballina resident, expressed her sorrow over the situation. She has experienced severe weather events since moving there five years ago, but said this fish kill has been the hardest to witness. The dead fish are a result of polluted water filled with decomposing plant material from the cyclone's heavy rains. Community members have stepped up to help clean up the area. Lismore Council worker Joshua McPherson reported that clean-up crews removed four tons of dead fish over one weekend, but many more remain. Local Wendy Sharpe has been cleaning up fish daily and warned that the smell is overwhelming. Mass fish kills have been reported in various areas, including West Ballina and Gawandii Beach. According to experts, healthy water should contain at least five milligrams of oxygen per liter, while the recent readings showed levels as low as 0.4 milligrams. The organization OzFish is advocating for the restoration of Tuckean Swamp, a major wetland in the area. They believe it could significantly reduce similar fish kill events in the future by filtering out harmful blackwater before it reaches the rivers.