There has been a mass death of fish in the Polish-German border river. The environmental catastrophe put a strain on the relationship between Germany and Poland. Scientists from both countries now have a strong assumption as to how the catastrophe happened.
A dead fish in the Polish-German border river Oder.
On Friday, a new thesis as to what could have caused the death of fish in the Polish-German border river Oder received more food. Polish scientists have identified a microorganism called golden algae as the probable cause of the disaster. This was announced by Poland’s Environment Minister Anna Moskwa via Twitter.
German researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology in Berlin had previously seen the golden algae as a possible cause of the disaster, which has probably damaged the river’s ecosystem for years to come. On Friday afternoon, the researchers then became more specific: One can currently prove the mass development of a potentially toxic alga, wrote the institute. However, the type and concentration of any toxins would only be known in a few days.
High salt levels allow dangerous algae to thrive
The golden alga is an invasive species and thrives particularly well in highly saline water. Their poison kills fish and mussels, Minister Moskva wrote on Twitter. Recently there was talk of volunteers collecting more than 100 tons of dead fish on the Oder.
In fact, an unnaturally high salt content has been measured in the Oder for two weeks. The question, however, is why this phenomenon has occurred just now. Salt is constantly flowing into the Oder in more or less large quantities: probably because of the low water level it has recently not been diluted as much as in normal times, said Jan Köhler from the Leibniz Institute. However, the scientists also suspect that there was an additional intake of salt. However, it is still unknown what the source of this could be.
For at least a week, politicians and scientists have been expressing differing views as to what might have caused the disaster. For the Polish Ministry of the Environment, three assumptions have been in the foreground so far. The first is that toxins from industrial production got into the river. Secondly, there is the thesis that the low water level has led to a high concentration of harmful pollution. Thirdly, the Polish Ministry generally speaks of industrial waste.
Moskva, on the other hand, has now ruled out the possibility that mercury caused the fish kill. According to the minister, this initial suspicion can be ruled out after toxicological tests.
At the same time, apparently not much can be done about the disaster at the moment. Iwona Jasser from the University of Warsaw said in various media reports that one would have to be patient until a stronger flow of water diluted the poison.
Meanwhile, the government of the Polish province of West Pomerania has extended the ban on using water from the Oder until August 25. It is forbidden to swim in the river; the water may not be used for watering animals or watering plants.
The environmental disaster burdens the already tense relationship between Germany and Poland. The first dead fish were reportedly found at the end of July near the Polish town of Olawa in Lower Silesia. German politicians in particular, who accuse neighboring Poland of not having informed about the situation in good time, are alienated. “The question of German-Polish cooperation obviously didn’t work at this point,” said Germany’s Environment Minister Steffi Lemke a week ago. She had agreed with Moscow that the results of the experts would be evaluated together.
Poland’s prime minister wants to severely punish the guilty
However, the environmental disaster is also causing unrest in Poland. Parliamentary elections will be held in the country in 14 months. The government is already under a lot of pressure because the economic outlook has recently deteriorated significantly. The last thing she needs right now is an even bigger mountain of problems.
In any case, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki reacted to the catastrophe with harsh words. The culprits of this ecological crime will be found and punished as severely as possible, he wrote on Facebook. The government has set aside 1 million zloty (200,000 Swiss francs) to reward those who provide information to the administration about the causes of the disaster. At the same time, the government has dismissed the heads of the water authority and the environmental authority.
Anglers’ association attacks state and considers lawsuits
In Poland, this is once again fueling doubts about the abilities of the administration. At the beginning of the year, for example, an announced tax reform resulted in chaos. Opposition politicians repeatedly criticize that the ruling party PiS (Law and Justice) has accommodated too many sympathizers and members in the offices who are not up to their task. The water authority is also not equipped with sufficient money.
As long as the cause of the catastrophe has not been clarified, the question of how high the financial damage is and who will ultimately pay for it remains unanswered. Fishing associations have said they are considering lawsuits. The Polish Anglers’ Association tweeted that the disaster was triggered by a “lack of government competence, commitment and capacity to act”.