18-05-2025
Fish believed to be sardines or pilchards wash up in the hundreds in Hobart
Hundreds of small, dead fish seen floating and washing ashore on the River Derwent near Hobart on Saturday have raised concerns with some local residents.
The fish, seen along the shore between Crayfish Point in Taroona and Long Beach in Sandy Bay, are believed to be pilchards or sardines.
David Boyles lives by the water in the Hobart suburb of Sandy Bay and has fished in the Derwent River for years.
Mr Boyles said on Saturday morning he noticed "little shiny, white-looking things on the rocks down below our house".
Along with the dead fish seen on the rocks, Mr Boyles said, "were hundreds if not thousands more, just floating in the water, dead".
He said he was distressed to see that about a third of the third appeared to be bleeding from their gills and vent, leading him to think it was "some kind of toxic event".
He said a man kayaking on the river towards Hobart told him there were many more down river.
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and Institute of Marine Antarctic Science (IMAS) have been contacted for comment.
Independent water scientist Christine Coughanowr has spent years monitoring the River Derwent.
For 20 years, she led the Derwent Estuary Program, which focuses on monitoring and restoring water quality of the estuary.
Ms Coughanow said while the incident had worried some, it was too early to draw conclusions.
"I think really that raises in some ways more questions than it answers."
She said it was still unknown if other marine species were impacted, and how widespread the issue was.
"I think really the key question is for those who have the ability to assess this, the EPA and the fish health authorities, to get the samples and do the necessary analysis to find out what's going on," Ms Coughanowr said.
