It appears we've got a fishy predicament going on in Arendsee, Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, Saxony-Anhalt. Experts point their fins at high water temps and a lack of oxygen as potential culprits in this recent fish demise "epic" - a fancy word for a massive fish death situation.
Upon closer inspection, authorities discovered an array of critters feasting on the fish carcasses and bacteria having a wild time. Lucky for landlubbers, there weren't any notifiable diseases caught red-handed.
Parasites and high water temperatures might've partnered up to help these critters party hardy on the fish. The Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology's trusty monitoring station spilled the beans that a low-oxygen zone formed in June, lurking around 10 to 12 meters deep.
Fish deaths in ponds and lakes aren't exactly rare in Saxony-Anhalt. And Arendsee, with its deep depths of over 50 meters, is Saxony-Anhalt's deepest natural lake and one of the largest deep lakes in Northern Germany. During the summer, this lake logs a "summer standstill," forming three layers of different temperatures and oxygen levels.
With a fall forecasted for the fish crisis to peter out, they're diligently collecting and disposing of the dead fish. Most of the unlucky fish were young pike, a delish dish in the Arendsee area.
Water-related fish fatalities in Saxony-Anhalt have got quite the track record - over 70 in the past five years. Low water levels and oxygen deficiency often reap the consequences of these deaths.
High water temperatures and oxygen deficiency could make these fish more vulnerable, leading to their "death by suffocation" in the hypoxic zone detected in June. This zone might've impacted the oxygen levels needed for fish survival, ultimately leading to their untimely demise.
