Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist,
December 2001 About the note Fish kills are the sudden death of
large numbers of fish. These events are very common in inland
waters of the Top End. It is a rare year when at least one kill
is not reported and in some years there are many reports. Most
of these fish kills are the result of natural causes. However,
it is well known that such kills can also result from pollution
of water by urban, agricultural and industrial effluent. This
eriss note discusses the causes of fish kills, where and when
they happen, the natural processes that cause them such as lack
of oxygen, naturally toxic water and disease, diagnosis
procedures for fish kills, and what signs to look out for.