Hundreds of thousands of dead fish in Formosa, Argentina #Fish #Formosa #Argentina

What impacts is the impressive volume of dead fish , ” says Luis María de la Cruz, coordinator of the Pîlcomayo Gran Chaco Alert System, in front of the tremendous image, which exceeds the thousands, rises to hundreds of thousands and for some amounts to million dead fish ,

Everything has just happened in the La Estrella wetland ( the second largest wetland in our country and the third in South America), in the province of Formosa. “The fish come from the drainage system that reaches the Paraguay River in times of flood,” De la Cruz illustrates. “Those who are dying come up the Salado, from the La Salada lagoon area and the Porteño stream, which is where there was some water until recently , ” he adds.

So drought is the great cause of mortality? Apparently, the closing of the dam of the reservoir adjacent to the spillway (50 kilometers from Route 28) extremely lowered the level of one of the tributaries of the Salado River, causing the fish to run out of oxygen .

The gates have been closed by the government of Formosa to avoid the loss of flow in the project to distribute water to the towns of Route 81 through earth channels.

The Pilcomayo Alert System (SAP) had already warned about a great fish mortality in the La Estrella bath. Now he also raises his voice, fearing the effects of the pollution produced by decomposition and its consequences for cattle and horses , which drink from the water in which dead fish float.

“Beyond everything,” repeats Luis María de la Cruz, what is striking is the impressive volume of dead fish a week after the total closure of the gate, “he adds, to close: ” When running water, an ecological flow was maintained minimum that allowed them to live. But when that flow was cut, the level dropped, and what was a refuge was transformed into a grave”.

Courtesy of gente.com.ar

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