SUNRAYSIA’S fishing community has been urged to avoid taking fish from the Murray River for the next month due to the threat of contaminated waters.
The Environmental Protection Authority has been monitoring water quality in the Murray River and has so far detected low levels of E. coli and chemicals at sites near Swan Hill.
EPA chief environmental scientist Professor Mark Taylor said while concentrations were low, the fishing community should take a precautionary approach and find other means of getting fish.
“We know that floods can transport contaminants,” Mr Taylor said.
“Levels are generally low, but (the river does) contain pesticides, PFAS, some Phthalates, which are chemicals that are used in plastics.
“Don’t eat any fish in the river, particularly don’t fish out dead ones and eat them.”
Unsafe levels of the bacteria E.coli are any readings above 550 per 100ml of water.
Samples for E.coli taken from the Murray River at Swan Hill returned a reading of 52 on November 7, but rose to 310 a week later.
Floodwaters have affected aquatic life in recent weeks as blackwater has resulted in critically low levels of oxygen in the water.
So far rescue efforts have resulted in hundreds of rescued native fish and crayfish.
Mr Taylor said it was not a good time to take fish out of the river when they were “under pressure” due to blackwater.
“We’re going to need those mature fish to help reproduce once the flood dissipates.”
But he said fishing could return by the time summer kicked in.
“Fishing will resume relatively soon, probably by the summer holiday people can get back on the river.”
Mr Taylor said while he was not sure what effect the blackwater event had had on fish populations, he expected fish numbers to rebound.
“They will all recover,” he said. “There are estimates that there will be a bit of a boom in the populations in the river because of all the additional nutrients.”
