EPA Victoria is investigating the cause of a fish kill in a drain leading to the Tarwin River, in the Berrys Creek area of southwest Gippsland.

Responding to a report from a member of the public that there were hundreds of dead European Carp, EPA officers took water samples from the area for scientific analysis.

They found no dead fish in the river itself, but as a precaution, EPA recommends that members of the public avoid contact with water and fish in the Tarwin River in the Berrys Creek area for the moment.

At this stage, it’s understood that the kill is likely to have occurred due to a drop in dissolved oxygen content in the water and is contained to a dam and drain, with very little reaching the river. Drops in dissolved oxygen content can be caused by a variety of means, including, but not limited to, dairy effluent runoff, fertiliser from farmland or simply by the natural decaying of vegetation, which is quite common. The reason for the drop is unknown at this stage, with the results from lab tests to determine the exact cause.

Members of the public can report pollution by calling EPA’s 24-hour hotline on 1300 372 842 or providing details online at epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/reporting-pollution.