Fish and Marine Animal Deaths

A question put forward to the Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) regarding marine deaths.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (15:07): As a supplementary, has the EPA and the task force ruled out any contribution to marine deaths from stormwater and/or wastewater treatment plants?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:07): The advice that I have received is that the most likely cause of the fish deaths relates to the warm water temperatures and the algal blooms. The water quality has been tested in a number of places around where fish deaths occurred, and the water quality, I am advised, was within normal parameters. So, there was no evidence that there were any toxins or pollutants that were contributing to those events. Obviously, the testing has been done as broadly as it possibly can and we have tried to, as I said, do those tests where there have been fish killed.