In Aigues-Mortes, dead fish in the Rhône-Sète canal but still no explanation.

Ici et là, le long du canal, des poissons morts sans, pour l’instant, d’explication.

Qu’est-ce qui est à l’origine de la mort de poissons à Aigues-Mortes ? Pour l’instant, le mystère demeure.

Le phénomène a démarré la première semaine de septembre. “People alerted us around September 6th or 7th about the presence of dozens of dead fish in the Rhone-Sète canal. It calmed down and then there were more.” Michel Leblanc is deputy for the environment at the Aigues-Mortes town hall and admits he doesn't understand. The town alerted the Regional Health Agency, which has, for the time being, hardly given any explanation or particular opinion. The canal manager, Voies Navigables de France, has no more information, nor does the French Office for Biodiversity.

Resistant species affected

“We first thought of a runoff effect with the recent rains, could there have been a sort of drying out with toxic products such as pesticides ? It seems strange, however, “, continues the elected official, who suggests another hypothesis: a lack of oxygenation of the fish. With one doubt, however: the losses would probably be more massive. Nevertheless, among the dead fish, mullet (or mullets) and sea bass (or sea bass), rather resistant species.

In doubt, the city closed the Marette pond which belongs to it. Maritime affairs and fishermen have been notified. The French Biodiversity Office must now carry out autopsies in order to understand what killed hundreds of fish here and there on the canal.