Something fishy happening at Centennial Park

Something fishy happening at Centennial Park

By Arjun Ramachandran

Source: smh

9/21/2009

Hundreds of fish have died and the lives of dozens of eels and turtles have been threatened apparently after an outbreak of algae in the duck pond at Centennial Park.

Park patrons described as "tragic" the sight of hundreds of European carp lying on the surface of the pond choking for air last Wednesday.

"There were hundreds of fish gasping for air, these massive fish ... I was devastated," said Lucy Glover, who saw the struggling fish while jogging in the morning.

A sudden outbreak of blue-green algae in the pond - which lowers oxygen levels in the pond - is believed to be behind the aquatic deaths, said Centennial Park's Horticulture Estate manager Paul Tracey.

"As the algal blooms break down, they draw down on the oxygen levels.
"There was a substantial amount of European carp lying in the shallows. "There were also hundreds of eels affected.

"A few turtles were affected - there was one dead turtle - and the rest were relocated.

"Obviously people in the park that saw it became quite concerned."