Dead fish in River Foss, York – Environment Agency says why

Dead fish have been seen floating on the surface of the river at points throughout the city.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said they believe the deaths have been caused by a combination of high temperatures and thunderstorms creating a lack of oxygen in the river for the fish.

They said the problem has been happening throughout England.

Video by @stufreestone

“We continue to investigate a number of fish deaths and fish in distress incidents across the country, including in Yorkshire,” said the spokesperson.

"We believe that many of the problems we are seeing are as a result of low dissolved oxygen due to a combination of the high temperatures we have experienced recently, and the low atmospheric pressure caused by the thunderstorms.

“However, our officers are investigating at multiple locations to rule out any other causes such as pollution.  

“It is important that members of the public who spot fish in distress report it to our 24/7 incident hotline 0800 80 70 60 so that our officers can investigate.”

Dead fish have been seen in the River Foss (Image: Howard Smith)

Yorkshire Water say they visited the Foss after receiving reports of dead fish being seen and found no sewage present in the water.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: “We did attend the area after the reports of the fish deaths and tested the water, which found no ammonia present, indicating no sewage discharges in the area.”

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The Environment Agency say a solution to the problem is to run pumps through the night pumping oxygen into the river through a process called ‘mechanical aeration’.

However, an Environment Agency spokesperson confirmed they have no plans to carry out the process in York but said: “We are monitoring and considering where to do it on a case-by-case basis."

The dead fish in the River Foss (Image: Howard Smith)

The spokesperson also said the Environment Agency will not be removing the dead fish from the river as it believes the fish have died from natural causes, rather than because of contamination or pollution.  

The Canal & River Trust, a charity caring for canals, rivers, reservoirs and docks in England and Wales, is continuing to carry out emergency action, supporting the Environment Agency to help suffering fish across the country.The Foss today (Image: Howard Smith)

They say the recent hot weather and heavy storms has caused an unprecedented number of separate incidents at over 40 reported locations across the canal network.

John Ellis, national fisheries and angling manager at the Canal & River Trust, said: “Whilst any instances of fish in distress is upsetting, seeing so many separate cases at the same time is unprecedented.

"We are doing all we can, as the nation’s canal charity, to support the regulators in England and Wales.”