A preliminary report points to a heatwave and low oxygen levels as causes of a mass fish kill at the Umhlali River mouth in KwaZulu-Natal. Local authorities closed nearby beaches in response. Residents described the scene as heartbreaking, with thousands of fish struggling to survive.
On the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal, a large number of dead fish appeared at the mouth of the Umhlali River, prompting concern among locals and officials. According to a preliminary report, the incident resulted from oxygen shortages in the water, exacerbated by high temperatures during a heatwave and low tide conditions.
The Kwadukuza Municipality acted swiftly by closing bathing beaches at Tinley Manor and Shaka’s Cove Tidal Pool in Salt Rock on Friday. This followed reports of thousands of fish washing ashore, including small and large species, shrimp, and crabs.
A resident from Tinley Manor recounted the distressing sight: “Thousands and thousands of fish washed up. They were swimming out of the water trying to breathe air. So yeah, a very sad thing to see, but looks like mother nature took its course.” Patrick Kotze, another local, added, “It was such a sad site to see, seeing literally thousands and thousands of fish wash up from small fish to big fish to the shrimp to the crabs. Everything was just dying.”
Bridget Shange from the Kwadukuza Municipality explained that water samples were collected immediately by an independent laboratory to check for pollutants. The initial findings highlighted elevated sea temperatures. While awaiting a full chemical analysis report, a second similar event occurred at Shaka’s Rock tidal pool on Friday. Officials' initial assessment linked it to low tide, high temperatures, and reduced oxygen levels.
This event underscores the impacts of extreme weather on coastal ecosystems, though full details remain pending.