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Fears of another mass fish kill at Menindee

The NSW Government is investigating after photos emerged of more dead fish on the banks of the Darling River at Menindee in the state’s far west.

Local man Graeme McCrabb told the ABC “thousands” of small bony bream were floating in the area.

Fisheries officers from NSW’s Department of Primary Industries are on their way to the river to confirm the number of fish killed.

Earlier this month, the area rose to prominence after about one million fish died in the area.

Those deaths were the result of a blue-green algae bloom which stripped the water of oxygen, suffocating the fish.

The temperature in Menindee dropped about 20 degrees Celsius between Saturday and Sunday, and about 2.1 millimetres of rain fell at the weekend.

Severe temperature change and rain can worsen algae blooms.

The small town an hour from Broken Hill has drawn worldwide attention this past month, and the previous fish kill was considered a national ecological crisis.

NSW Government officials say the state’s drought was to blame for the fish kill earlier this month, but locals in Menindee claim the areas waterways have been mismanaged for years.

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