The findings presented at a press conference through scientists and the government come from an initial report to be released on Friday, weeks after the environmental crisis erupted.
The report’s authors imply that around 250 tonnes of dead fish were recovered from the Oder River flowing through Poland and Germany.
Several points “led us to conclude that the death of the fish was probably due to the poisonous effects of an algal bloom,” said Agnieszka Kolada of the Polish Institute for Environmental Protection.
The microalgae involved, known as Prymnesium parvum, or golden algae, are widespread in estuaries and grow in brackish waters, basically near the sea, and “have never been detected in Poland before,” he told reporters.
He added that the Oder’s water quality has been poor “for years” and was only bothered this summer by maximum temperatures and very low water levels, which possibly would have favored algae blooms.
Some observers, in addition to the media and environmental organizations, suspected that a chemical spill was to blame for the disaster, but the Polish side rejected this theory.
“The death of fish not caused by heavy metals, insecticides or petroleum-derived substances,” according to a presentation of the report.
According to analyses to date, “none of the inspected advertising entities have released pollutants beyond regulatory limits” into the river, said Andrzej Szweda-Lewandowski, head of environmental protection rate.
The number of commercial downloads “the same as in previous years,” he told reporters.
Polish fishermen began reporting dead fish in the Oder River in late July and began stranded in Germany a few days later.
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