Since the beginning of the mass killing of fish in Poland, the country’s firefighters have removed nearly 160,000 kilograms of dead fish from the water. Most of the bodies were found in the Oder, but dead fish were also found in the Lesser Nyre in recent days. It flows in the center of the country and is not associated with Oder.

On the German side of the Oder, 36,000 kilograms of dead fish were removed from the waters in the state of Brandenburg. An environmental disaster has occupied Poland and Germany for weeks, and its cause has yet to be determined.

Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki spoke last week “Large amounts of chemical waste” Which could have been dumped into the Oder, but in recent days researchers have reported that a type of toxic algae may be responsible for the widespread fish deaths. This, too, has not been conclusively proven; It could be a combination of factors.

According to the German broadcaster ARD Between August 7 and 9, a very high value of the herbicide was measured in the Oder. The specified concentration is not immediately fatal to fish, but the substance may be present in a less dilute state upstream.

Algae species are found in water samples on the Polish and German sides prymnesium parvum established. It usually only occurs in brackish water which is not the case with Oder. However, a higher than normal salt content was found at a measuring station in Frankfurt an der Oder for two weeks. The German aquatic ecologist believed that a substance with a high salt content was discharged.

Poland’s environment minister said further investigations would be conducted in Poland in the coming days. She promised to support companies affected by fish deaths and water pollution. By the way, algae are not dangerous to humans.

“I never thought I would face such a disaster,” the mayor of the Polish city of Widowszwa told Reuters news agency. “It’s something you see in disaster movies.” The inhabitants of his place dug out the dead fish from the water with dozens of pitchforks. The mayor talked about the most difficult five days of his life.

Meanwhile, researchers in the German state of Brandenburg also found healthy animals. In addition to fishing, this includes lobster, mussels, and shrimp. This could be a sign that the ecosystem is recovering quickly.

The Polish authorities are now under heavy criticism for intervening too late. At the end of July, for example, a large amount of dead fish was discovered near the Polish town of Ullawa. It should be noted that it is not clear whether this is related to the massive fish death in the following weeks. What is certain is that earlier this month the head of the Polish Environmental Inspectorate was dismissed for not responding adequately.

German authorities believe that communications from the other side of the border also left something to be desired. “Six days before the fish died here, the fish died in Poland and we were not informed of this,” said the Brandenburg premier. He is “extremely disappointed” in the Polish government.